Evidence-Based. Evidence-Supported.
Evidence & Research
The Prepare U Curriculum has been evidenced to significantly increase participant’s meaning and purpose, increase social and emotional support, decrease physical pain symptoms, and decrease symptoms of trauma and anxiety, while delivering an experience that provides a mastery of the evidence-based tools and mental health content.
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The Process of Collecting and Analyzing Numerical Data
Quantitative Research
Since 2017 Prepare U has been researched in a range of settings both quantitatively and qualitatively. Initially under an approved IRB (Institutional Review Board) study, with continued multi-year research with Pre and Post Programmatic Assessments, including 6-18 month follow up studies.
In the Fall of 2019, roughly an additional 750+ students throughout North America completed questions in the pre/post outcomes. All of the scales measuring positive/beneficial constructs went up. All of the scales measuring negative/symptom constructs went down. These findings can be found in our whitepaper.
Scales Utilized to Measure Outcomes
GAD-7
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale ranges from 0 to 21. Although the scale was originally developed to screen for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), it also has satisfactory (albeit lower) sensitivity and specificity for detecting other anxiety disorders when a cut off of 8 or above is used.
PCL-C
This Abbreviated PCL-C is a shortened version of the PTSD Checklist – Civilian version (PCL-C). The 6-item version consists of items 1, 4, 7, 10, 14 and 15. An individual is considered to have screened positive if the sum of these items is 14 or greater.
PC-PTSD
The Primary Care PTSD Screen is a 5-item screen that was designed for use in primary care settings. The measure begins with an item designed to assess whether the respondent has had any exposure to traumatic events.
PROMIS Psychological Stress
The PROMIS Pediatric and Parent Proxy Psychological Stress Experiences item banks assess the thoughts or feelings about self and the world in the context of environmental or internal challenges. Items represent 3 facets of psychological stress reactions: feeling overwhelmed, perceived lack of control of capacity to manage one’s life, and cognitive-perceptual disruption.
PROMIS Emotional Support
The PROMIS Emotional Support item bank assesses perceived feelings of being cared for and valued as a person; having confident relationships.
PROMIS Meaning Purpose
The PROMIS Meaning and Purpose item banks assess one’s sense of life having purpose and that there are good reasons for living. Higher scores indicate hopefulness, optimism, goal-directedness, and feelings that one’s life is worthy. All item banks do not use a recall period.
PROMIS Pain Intensity
The PROMIS Pain Intensity items assess how much a person hurts. Participants provide quantitative pain intensity estimates relatively quickly, and most measures of pain intensity tend to be closely related to one another.
Request A MeetingThe study of things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them
Qualitative Research
Qualitatively in a range of settings participants that have struggled with suicidal ideation and prior suicide attempts shared that they had a greater sense of hope, less suicidal ideation, and decided to seek out support. In a range of settings, students reported intervening and providing support to friends and family members that struggled with self-harming behaviors and more severe mental illnesses. Participants that had been active in psychotherapy self-reported that their positive outcomes in treatment and daily living activities significantly progressed after completing the Prepare U program. Several participants volunteered with parental consent to share their experiences of Prepare U in video testimonials.
Additionally, Prepare U has been implemented in high achieving nationally ranked schools as well as several schools that have experienced multiple suicides, suicide pacts, and prior school shootings. Prior to COVID-19 and as of the Fall 2020, none of the schools that have implemented Prepare U have reported further student suicides.
Watch Testimonials VideosWe Meet State Guidelines & Go Beyond
Social Emotional Learning
Researched in middle and high school students ages 13-19, the Prepare U program has been shown to significantly increase content-based learning, reduce the intensity of traumatic symptoms, reduce anxiety symptoms, and support overall health, while increasing participant’s meaning, purpose, and emotional support.
The Prepare U curriculum’s unique structure includes an integrated sequence of video content, in-class experiential learning activities, and engaging homework to help catalyze positive growth and learning.
The Prepare U 15-Class Experiential Curriculum aligns with several state guidelines, SEL competencies, & the HECAT as listed below.
A nationally ranked high school recently led a student self report survey of approximately 100 students upon completing the Prepare U Curriculum. The findings are listed below.
We Invite 3rd Party Research
68%
Prepare U Group process helped me
77%
I learned to cope better with my problems
59%
I had new realizations of myself
57%
I used coping strategies learned
53%
My mental health has improved
87%
74%
Helped me to connect to others
56%
Personally I have grown