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Trial registered on ANZCTR

Registration number

ACTRN12619001675112

Ethics application status

Approved

Date submitted

9/10/2019

Date registered

29/11/2019

Date last updated

12/10/2023

Date data sharing statement initially provided

29/11/2019

Type of registration

Prospectively registered

Titles & IDs

Public title

Yawardani Jan-ga (Horses helping in Yawuru language): Using equine-assisted learning to improve the social and emotion wellbeing of Aboriginal young people and prevent suicide

Scientific title

Yawardani Jan-ga: Equine Assisted Learning with Aboriginal community co-design as in intervention into causal pathways into incarceration and suicide.

Secondary ID [1]

nil known

Universal Trial Number (UTN)

U1111-1241-7349

Trial acronym

YGEAL

Linked study record

Health condition

Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:

Alcohol spectrum disorder

Social and emotional wellbeing issues

ADHD, Autism

Condition category

Condition code

Mental Health

Suicide

Public Health

Health promotion/education

Mental Health

Studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour

Mental Health

Addiction

Intervention/exposure

Study type

Interventional

Description of intervention(s) / exposure

Yawardani Jan-ga is an equine-assisted experiential learning program delivered weekly by a trained Aboriginal EAL Practitioners utilizing horses as facilitators to assist Aboriginal young people to develop life-transferable skills such as self-awareness, healthy boundaries, self-regulation, persistence and improved social and emotional wellbeing.
A standard dose will be a curriculum of 10 sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour delivered one-on-one at the field site, with the final two sessions being delivered in pairs or small groups. It is intended that sessions be delivered weekly. However, the intervention will be personalised. For each session, activities within the curriculum are selected depending on the emotional state and preference of the young person on the day. Depending on how quickly the young person acquire each skill, they may need to repeat sessions before they progress to the next and, therefore, require more (or less) than the expected standard 10 sessions. A young person may re-join the research at any time after they have graduated if they feel the need for another dose, provided there is the capacity to accommodate them.
Voice-recordings, videos, and photos of participant's progress are taken during sessions and kept in a clinical file. Attendance and progress through the curriculum is monitored weekly to track progress of young people as they move through the program.
Aboriginal EAL Practitioners have receive a minimum of 3 x 1-week blocks of training in EAL by a recognized Equine Psychotherapy Training provider co-facilitated by an Aboriginal Equine Psychotherapist with more than 8 years experience. As part of their ongoing continuing professional development, practitioners will be required to engage in discussion about issues arising in their sessions with PI Coffin.

Intervention code [1]

Behaviour

Intervention code [2]

Treatment: Other

Comparator / control treatment

No control group

Control group

Uncontrolled

Outcomes

Primary outcome [1]

Changes in self-awareness as observed in primary participants during EAL sessions. Observations may be documented by EAL-Practitioners:

1. During EAL-sessions as part of field notes.
2. After EAL-sessions in reflective notes of the EAL session/participant.
3. After EAL-sessions on review of photo-sequences / video footage taken during the EAL sessions. Photo-sequences may consist of 4-30 photos per session (depending on activity), while video footage may be made up of one or multiple videos per session, ranging from 30 seconds to three-minutes in length (depending on activity).

Timepoint [1]

At the end of ten sessions

Primary outcome [2]

Changes in self-regulation as observed in primary participants during EAL sessions and as reported by parent/carer and referrers.

Observations may be documented by EAL-Practitioners:
1. During EAL-sessions as part of field notes.
2. After EAL-sessions in reflective notes of the EAL session/participant.
3. After EAL-sessions on review of photo-sequences / video footage taken during the EAL sessions. Photo-sequences may consist of 4-30 photos per session (depending on activity), while video footage may be made up of one or multiple videos per session, ranging from 30 seconds to three-minutes in length (depending on activity).

Reports on self regulation will be collected through one-on-one interviews (open ended ‘check-ins’) with parent/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other). Interviews (open ended ‘check-ins’) are expected to be between 5 and 20 minutes, and will be conducted either face-to-face, via telephone, depending on the preference / availability of the interviewee.
Interviews will be audio-recorded if consent is given and the transcribed verbatim, otherwise detailed notes will be taken.

Timepoint [2]

At the end of ten sessions

Primary outcome [3]

Changes in pro-social behaviours (e.g. giving, sharing, helping, obeying rules) as observed in primary participants during EAL sessions and as reported by parent/carer and referrers.
Pro-social behaviours refer to a broad range of voluntary actions intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals.

Observations may be documented by EAL-Practitioners:
1. During EAL-sessions as part of field notes.
2. After EAL-sessions in reflective notes of the EAL session/participant.
3. After EAL-sessions on review of photo-sequences / video footage taken during the EAL sessions. Photo-sequences may consist of 4-30 photos per session (depending on activity), while video footage may be made up of one or multiple videos per session, ranging from 30 seconds to three-minutes in length (depending on activity).

Pro-social behaviours will be assessed in one-on-one interviews (open ended ‘check-ins’) with parent/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other). Interviews (open ended ‘check-ins’) are expected to be between 5 and 20 minutes, and will be conducted either face-to-face, via telephone, depending on the preference / availability of the interviewee.
Interviews will be audio-recorded if consent is given and the transcribed verbatim, otherwise detailed notes will be taken.

Timepoint [3]

At the end of ten sessions

Secondary outcome [1]

Retention of changes in self-awareness among primary participants as assessed through one-on-one semi-structured interviews (open ended) with participant, parents/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other).

Semi-structured interviews with participant, parents/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other) are expected to be up 30-minutes in length, and will be conducted either face-to-face, via telephone, depending on the location, preference, and availability of the interviewee.
Interviews will be audio-recorded if consent is given and the transcribed verbatim, otherwise detailed notes will be taken.

Timepoint [1]

At the end of 6 months post-intervention

Secondary outcome [2]

Retention of changes in self-regulation among primary participants as assessed through one-on-one semi-structured interviews (open ended) with participant, parents/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other).

Semi-structured interviews with participant, parents/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other) are expected to be up 30-minutes in length, and will be conducted either face-to-face, via telephone, depending on the location, preference, and availability of the interviewee.
Interviews will be audio-recorded if consent is given and the transcribed verbatim, otherwise detailed notes will be taken.

Timepoint [2]

At the end of 6 months post-intervention

Secondary outcome [3]

Retention of changes in pro-social behaviours (e.g. giving, sharing, helping, obeying rules). Pro-social behaviours refer to a broad range of voluntary actions intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals.

Retention of pro-social gains among primary participants will be assessed in one-on-one semi-structured interviews (open-ended) with participant, parents/carers and referrers (school/ police/ other) are expected to be up 30-minutes in length, and will be conducted either face-to-face, via telephone, depending on the location, preference, and availability of the interviewee.
Interviews will be audio-recorded if consent is given and the transcribed verbatim, otherwise detailed notes will be taken.

Timepoint [3]

At the end of 6 months post-intervention

Eligibility

Key inclusion criteria

Aboriginality
6-25 years
local service referral

Minimum age

6 Years

Maximum age

25 Years

Sex

Both males and females

Can healthy volunteers participate?

Yes

Key exclusion criteria

Non-Aboriginal
below 5 years of age
Over 25 years of age

Study design

Purpose of the study

Prevention

Allocation to intervention

Non-randomised trial

Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)

Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)

Masking / blinding

Open (masking not used)

Who is / are masked / blinded?

Intervention assignment

Single group

Other design features

Phase

Not Applicable

Type of endpoint/s

Efficacy

Statistical methods / analysis

Qualitative (analysis will be qualitatively led)

Recruitment

Recruitment status

Recruiting

Date of first participant enrolment

Anticipated

2/12/2019

Actual

3/02/2020

Date of last participant enrolment

Anticipated

Actual

Date of last data collection

Anticipated

13/12/2024

Actual

Sample size

Target

1000

Accrual to date

Final

Recruitment in Australia

Recruitment state(s)

Recruitment postcode(s) [1]

6725 - Broome

Recruitment postcode(s) [2]

6728 - Derby

Recruitment postcode(s) [3]

6770 - Halls Creek

Funding & Sponsors

Funding source category [1]

Charities/Societies/Foundations

Name [1]

Murdoch University

Address [1]

90 South Street, Murdoch WA 6150

Country [1]

Australia

Primary sponsor type

Charities/Societies/Foundations

Name

Murdoch University

Address

90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150

Country

Australia

Secondary sponsor category [1]

None

Name [1]

Address [1]

Country [1]

Ethics approval

Ethics application status

Approved

Ethics committee name [1]

Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee

Ethics committee address [1]

450 Beaufort Street
Highgate, WA, 6003

Ethics committee country [1]

Australia

Date submitted for ethics approval [1]

02/07/2019

Approval date [1]

23/07/2019

Ethics approval number [1]

926

Summary

Brief summary

Yawardani Jan-ga means 'horses helping' in Yawuru (local Broome) language. It is a direct response to community concerns over youth social and emotional wellbeing, and requests for research programs that are strengths-based and focused on building resilience among youth. Yawardani Jan-ga will investigate the effects of using equine-assisted learning (EAL) to increase the social and emotional wellbeing among Aboriginal youth as an alternative approach to traditional Western models of mental health service provision.

Trial website

Trial related presentations / publications

Public notes

Amendment application approved to WAAHEC around change of institution

Contacts

Principal investigator

Name

Prof Julianne (Juli) Coffin

Address

Yawardani Jan-ga Program site
548 Broome Road, Broome 6725 WA
Murdoch University, Ngangk Yira Institute For Change,
90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150

Country

Australia

Phone

+61 409377891

Fax

[email protected]

Contact person for public queries

Name

Julianne (Juli) Coffin

Address

548 Broome Road, Broome, 6725 WA
Murdoch University, Ngangk Yira Institute For Change,
90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150

Country

Australia

Phone

+61 409377891

Fax

[email protected]

Contact person for scientific queries

Name

Julianne (Juli) Coffin

Address

548 Broome Rd, Broome, 6725, WA
Murdoch University, Ngangk Yira Institute For Change,
90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150

Country

Australia

Phone

+61 409377891

Fax

[email protected]

Data sharing statement

Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?

No/undecided IPD sharing reason/comment

What supporting documents are/will be available?

Doc. No.	Type	Citation	Link	Email	Other Details	Attachment
5259	Ethical approval					378524-(Uploaded-07-04-2022-17-49-57)-Study-related document.pdf

Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually

No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically

No additional documents have been identified.

Trial Review

Documents added manually

Documents added automatically