Community Factors Measurement Project
This project will measure community-level factors associated with the prevention and reduction of childhood adversity including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). We will share data to inform community-level interventions in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health.
Vaccine Expectancies Research and Outcomes
In collaboration with University of Washington, University of Nebraska, and Georgia State University, members of the IMPACT Lab are examining COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among unvaccinated young adults. For this study, we are developing and testing a dynamic normative feedback intervention aimed at correcting misperceived norms related to the COVID-19 vaccine among unvaccinated young adults.
Northwest Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Collaborative
This project aims to develop and disseminate training and technical assistance to rural communities throughout SAMHSA Region 10 (WA, ID, AK, OR) for prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid misuse. This project will aim leverage our statewide Extension-based drug use prevention infrastructure, our expertise in providing training and technical assistance (TTA) for opioid treatment and recovery and our relationship with other SAMHSA TTA efforts to provide rural Region 10 communities with high quality TTA they need to combat the opioid epidemic.
Children, Youth and Families At-Risk Sustainable Community Projects: Adaptation of Strengthening Families (SFP 10-14) for Legalized Marijuana Context
The IMPACT lab is conducting two adaptations to the Strengthening Families (SFP 10-14) program to increase SFP 10-14’s impact on marijuana use. This integrated, multi-component, intergenerational, systems-based approach to marijuana prevention will include the incorporation of a marijuana personalized feedback tool for both caregivers and youth. As part of the five-year project, investigators will conduct adaptations and program evaluations to determine and demonstrate adaptation effectiveness within the context of legalized marijuana for adults in Washington State.
Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI) Evaluation
We are collaborating with the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) to conduct a statewide evaluation examining the effectiveness of community coalitions in reducing and preventing youth substance use.
Culture, Longitudinal Patterns, and Safety Promotion of Handgun Carrying Among Rural Adolescents: Implications for Injury Prevention
In partnership with the University of Washington, members of the IMPACT lab are helping to explore and improve our understanding of handgun carrying among adolescents living in rural communities. With increased understanding, we can aim to create, provide, and maintain effective interventions that prevent firearm injury and promote safety in rural adolescent populations.
DBHR Prevention Fellowship Program
In partnership with the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, the WSU IMPACT Lab helped to create and continues to help implement the DBHR Prevention Fellowship Program throughout Washington State. The goal of the program is to expand the field of substance use disorder prevention and build capacity in Washington State communities that could benefit from the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative.
Evidence-Based Program Registry
The EBP Registry project began in 2019 and aims to collaborate with and help the Washington Health Care Authority, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, to create and share a comprehensive online program registry. A comprehensive online program registry will work to support contractors, prevention providers, and communities to both identify and research programs that meet community needs. This project also aims to help state agencies identify, review, and promote new programs when allocating funding.
First Years Away From Home: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Spanish Language Adaptation
As part of an overall initiative to support a smooth transition to college for WSU families, our parent handbook project is a randomized control trial to test the efficacy of Letting Go and Staying Connected, our WSU interactive handbook. We are also creating a Spanish Language Adaptation of this project.
Northwest Center for Family Support: Building Statewide Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Interventions in Families with Opioid Use Disorder
In partnership with University of Washington, this project aims to create a state center called the Northwest Center for Family Support that increases access and trains opioid providers and the prevention workforce to implement evidence-based interventions with families with opioid use disorder (OUD). Researchers from the IMPACT Lab provide training and technical assistance through the center in the Strengthening Families Program, Ages 10-14 (SFP 10-14), an evidence-based family-focused substance use prevention program, to build capacity for implementing the program with families experiencing OUD. We also provide expertise in dissemination and implementation science to guide the projects final evaluation design.
Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (NW PTTC)
In collaboration with the University of Washington and University of Nevada, the IMPACT Lab and the NW PTTC project aim to serve as the primary training and technical assistance (TTA) resource to Region 10 (Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska) prevention practitioners.
Strengthening Families Program (SFP) for Parents and Adolescents 10-14 Evaluation
Our lab conducts regular evaluation activities of SFP 10-14 to assess the implementation, reach, and effectiveness of this program both in Washington State overall and within individual communities state-wide.
Universal Prevention Approaches To Addressing Opioid Use: Building Capacity Within Rural Families And Extension Personnel.
This project aims to prevent rural opioid misuse by increasing the capacity of rural-serving Extension faculty, staff, and volunteers to address the opioid epidemic and related risk factors. Members of the IMPACT lab collaborating on this project, will do so by, implementing virtual webinars focused on trauma-informed principles and strategies, working with distance learning communities to apply knowledge gained in rural community and partner engagement, and by expanding Mental Health First Aid training and implementing and evaluating an opioid-specific adaptation of Strengthening Families Program 10-14.
Past Projects
Center for Rural Opioid Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery: Adaptation of Strengthening Families Program (SFP 10-14) for Opioids
This project aims to develop and disseminate training and technical assistance to rural communities throughout Washington State for prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid misuse. This project will aim leverage our statewide Extension-based drug use prevention infrastructure, our expertise in providing training and technical assistance (TTA) for opioid treatment and recovery and our relationship with other SAMHSA TTA efforts to provide rural Washington communities with high quality TTA they need to combat the opioid epidemic. Additionally, this project will focus developing opioid-specific curriculum adaptations along with treatment and recovery resources to the evidence-based interventions, Strengthening Families Program (SFP) and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR).
Sustaining Prevention of Youth Substance Use Prevention
In this mixed method study, we explore the community, organizational, and program factors associated with the sustainment of the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Adolescents 10-14 in a sample of communities across Washington State.
Creating Connection to Values and Purpose
Over the next several years, we will train WSU faculty to implement experiential teaching pedagogies and brief evidence-based behavioral interventions that have been shown to increase student success. Using implementation and dissemination research approaches from prevention science, the goals of the project are to increase student resilience, retention and academic success by increasing their sense of purpose, their belief that they can succeed, their connection to the university and to important adults, and their academic and life skills.
WSDA Farm Stress and Suicide Prevention (FSSP)
The Farm Stress and Suicide Prevention (FSSP) project is a collaboration between the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Health, and Washington State University. It aims to address behavioral health and suicide prevention efforts in the agricultural sector of Washington State. Members of the IMPACT lab will be working on reviewing all evidence related to effective approaches for rural, agricultural suicide prevention efforts. They will also be developing a dissemination tool kit with WSU Extension and community partners.
Youth Participatory Action Research
This project is funded by the Washington Health Care Authority and aims to implement Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) projects in Washington State communities. To do so, the IMPACT lab will partner with prevention professionals and help support and provide capacity for the delivery of youth participatory action research approaches.
Suicide Post-Vention Project
In partnership with the Washington State Department of Health, members of the IMPACT lab are conducting a literature review and landscape analysis to explore the current state of suicide post-vention in Washington State as well as nationally. This includes exploring what community-level approaches and support post suicide(s) looks like, identifying current research suggested (best practices) approaches to post-suicide, identifying gaps in the field, and assessing what interventions different populations need based on their unique risk and protective factors.
Youth Advocates for Health (YA4-H!)
In partnership with 4-H and the Walmart Foundation, the WSU IMPACT lab will implement 4-H Healthy Habits within eight Washington State counties. 4-H Healthy Habits aims to help youth develop and maintain healthy behavior and habits and in doing so, emphasizes nutrition and food preparation skills, physical activity and social-emotional wellness. The program is delivered by Teen Healthy Living ambassadors, each of whom develop leadership skills as youth develop healthy habits. The WSU team will be assisting with program implementation, adaptation and evaluation within Washington State.