OtherNCT06336980
Creating Welcoming Faith Communities for People With Serious Mental Illnesses
A study testing Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith Communities in people with Other, run by Temple University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this intervention study is to test a behavioral intervention to increase inclusionary practices toward individuals with serious mental illness in faith communities. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Other
- What is being tested?
- Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith Communities
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 170 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 22 Jan 2024to 27 Apr 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- member or attendee of the faith community participating in the training
Who cannot join
- under the age of 18
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Creating Welcoming Faith Communities for Believers With Serious Mental Illnesses: Testing an Environmental, Behavior-Oriented Intervention
The goal of this intervention study is to test a behavioral intervention to increase inclusionary practices toward individuals with serious mental illness in faith communities. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- To determine if the behavior-based intervention leads to an increase in inclusionary practices (e.g., conducting outreach with mental health agencies).
- To determine if the behavior-based intervention is effective in increasing inclusive practices by members and leaders of faith communities.
- To determine if the intervention leads to a greater understand of mental illness and a decrease in stigmatizing beliefs by congregation members.
- To determine if the intervention results in individuals with serious mental illness and their family members reporting less discrimination and increased inclusion.
Congregations will be asked to create an inclusion committee that will then work on developing systems and changing congregational practices to become more inclusive. All congregation members will be invited to a half-day training that will provide information on mental illness and inclusion, and will provide tips and strategies when they encounter situations or behaviors that are less familiar to them. All congregation members will be given the opportunity to participate in a survey about congregational practices.
- Conditions
- Other
- Being tested
- Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith Communities
- Keywords
- inclusion, stigma reduction, faith communities
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith CommunitiesBehavioural
Congregational inclusion committees will participate in monthly training meetings for approximately 1 year. Each month a new inclusion practice will be introduced and then the committee will be asked to implement it in their congregation. The 11 practice areas are:1) assessing inclusion needs of members, 2) providing opportunities for members with serious mental illness (SMI) to take on roles and responsibilities, 3) creating an inclusion committee, 4) ensuring that members with SMI are welcomed to all events, 5) creating sensory friendly spaces, 6) offer participation opportunities in multiple formats, 7) adopt policies and practices to support inclusion, 8) using inclusive language, 9) ensure that external communications indicate the congregation is welcoming to all, 10) providing support to family members of individuals with SMI, and 11) conducing outreach to mental health support systems. Goals may vary per congregation based on their current practices, needs, and preferences.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior intervention to increase inclusionary practices | Experimental | Each congregation will participate in the intervention for 11-12 months Receives: Behavioral: Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith Communities |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Inclusionary practices
Researchers will evaluate inclusionary practices done in the congregation (e.g. create an intake form for new members). There might be up to 50 different practices. The number of practices will vary by congregation. Each practice will measured as being done or not (yes or no). A greater number of "yes" responses will indicate greater inclusionary practices.
Measured: Will be measured once per month for the duration of the study up to one year.
Indicators of Welcome
These questions are only being given to everyone who took the survey including those who report they do not have a mental illness, those that report that they do, and those that report that they have a family member with a mental illness. There are 32 statements related to organizational processes and respondent experiences with inclusion in their congregation. There are an additional three statements specifically for those with family members with mental illness. The response options are yes, no, and I don't know. A greater number of "yes" responses would indicate a greater number of inclusionary practices and greater inclusive experiences and "no" or "I don't know" would indicate the opposite.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. It consists of 6 statements related to knowledge about treatments and outcomes for individuals with mental illness. Response options range from strongly agree (6) to strongly disagree (1) on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores across statements indicates a higher level of knowledge about mental illness and a stronger disagreement or lower scores indicates less knowledge about mental illness.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Social Distance Scale
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. This measure assesses participants's comfort level in being around people with mental illness. It was modified to include measures directly related to faith communities (e.g., would you feel comfortable having someone with a serious mental illness as a member of your congregation). There are 7 questions with response options that vary from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6) on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores indicate a higher level of comfort with people with mental illness and stronger disagreement or lower scores indicate a lower level of comfort with people with mental illness.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. There are 4 statements related to attitudes toward people with mental illness from this measure. The response options for each statement range from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6) on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores across all questions indicate more negative attitudes toward those with mentally illness and stronger disagreement or lower scores (1) across all questions indicates more positive attitudes toward those with mental illness.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Reported and Intended Behavior Scale
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. The measure is divided into two parts. The first 4 questions ask about the participants current experiences with people with mental illness. Response options include "yes" or "no, or not that I know of". A greater number of yes responses indicates more experience with individuals with mental illness. The second part includes 4 questions asking about a person's willingness to include people with mental illnesses in their life. The response options are from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6) on a 6-point scale with stronger agreement or higher scores on each question indicating a greater willingness to associate with or include or have people with mental illnesses in their life in the future. Stronger disagreement or lower scores across questions indicates less willingness to associate with or include people with mental illnesses in their lives.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Sense of Belonging Scale
These 10 questions are only being given to participants who report having a mental illness or a family member with a mental illness. The questions ask participants the degree to which they feel welcomed and that they belong in a given environment. For this study that environment was their congregation. Response options range from strongly agree to strongly disagree on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores (6) on questions 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 , and 10 and stronger disagreement (1) or lower scores on questions 1, 5, and 6 indicate a greater sense of belonging. Stronger disagreement (1) or lower scores to questions 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 and stronger agreement (6) or higher scores to questions 1, 5, and 6 indicate less of a sense of belonging.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Secondary outcomes (2)
University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale
These 3 questions are only being given to participants who report having a mental illness. The questions related to how often participants feel socially isolated or lonely. Response options range from 1) hardly ever, 2) some of the time, and 3) often. Responses (3) indicate increased loneliness and more "hardly ever" responses indicate less loneliness.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Lerman Quality of Life Interview
This measure is only presented to people who report having a mental illness. Only the first question from this scale is being asked as it correlates well to other items on the interview related to overall quality of life. The one question asks participants "how do you feel about your life in general?" Response options vary from terrible to delighted on a 7-point scale. Responses closer to 7 (delighted) indicate greater perceived quality of life and responses closer to 1 (terrible) indicate lower perceived quality of life.
Measured: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Mar 2024
- Study start22 Jan 2024
- Primary completion27 Apr 2026
- Study completion27 Apr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for OtherStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 170 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Temple University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06336980
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 31021
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 27 Feb 2024
- Last updated
- 22 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 22 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Creating Welcoming Faith Communities for Believers With Serious Mental Illnesses: Testing an Environmental, Behavior-Oriented Intervention
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06336980
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 31021
- Conditions
- Other
- Keywords
- inclusion, stigma reduction, faith communities
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 170 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Temple UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
- Study start
- 22 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 27 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 29 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this intervention study is to test a behavioral intervention to increase inclusionary practices toward individuals with serious mental illness in faith communities. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- To determine if the behavior-based intervention leads to an increase in inclusionary practices (e.g., conducting outreach with mental health agencies).
- To determine if the behavior-based intervention is effective in increasing inclusive practices by members and leaders of faith communities.
- To determine if the intervention leads to a greater understand of mental illness and a decrease in stigmatizing beliefs by congregation members.
- To determine if the intervention results in individuals with serious mental illness and their family members reporting less discrimination and increased inclusion.
Congregations will be asked to create an inclusion committee that will then work on developing systems and changing congregational practices to become more inclusive. All congregation members will be invited to a half-day training that will provide information on mental illness and inclusion, and will provide tips and strategies when they encounter situations or behaviors that are less familiar to them. All congregation members will be given the opportunity to participate in a survey about congregational practices.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior intervention to increase inclusionary practices | Experimental | Behavioral: Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith CommunitiesEach congregation will participate in the intervention for 11-12 months |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- member or attendee of the faith community participating in the training
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- under the age of 18
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith CommunitiesCongregational inclusion committees will participate in monthly training meetings for approximately 1 year. Each month a new inclusion practice will be introduced and then the committee will be asked to implement it in their congregation. The 11 practice areas are:1) assessing inclusion needs of members, 2) providing opportunities for members with serious mental illness (SMI) to take on roles and responsibilities, 3) creating an inclusion committee, 4) ensuring that members with SMI are welcomed to all events, 5) creating sensory friendly spaces, 6) offer participation opportunities in multiple formats, 7) adopt policies and practices to support inclusion, 8) using inclusive language, 9) ensure that external communications indicate the congregation is welcoming to all, 10) providing support to family members of individuals with SMI, and 11) conducing outreach to mental health support systems. Goals may vary per congregation based on their current practices, needs, and preferences. | Behavioural | Behavior intervention to increase inclusionary practices |
Primary outcome
Inclusionary practices
Time frame: Will be measured once per month for the duration of the study up to one year.
Researchers will evaluate inclusionary practices done in the congregation (e.g. create an intake form for new members). There might be up to 50 different practices. The number of practices will vary by congregation. Each practice will measured as being done or not (yes or no). A greater number of "yes" responses will indicate greater inclusionary practices.
Indicators of Welcome
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
These questions are only being given to everyone who took the survey including those who report they do not have a mental illness, those that report that they do, and those that report that they have a family member with a mental illness. There are 32 statements related to organizational processes and respondent experiences with inclusion in their congregation. There are an additional three statements specifically for those with family members with mental illness. The response options are yes, no, and I don't know. A greater number of "yes" responses would indicate a greater number of inclusionary practices and greater inclusive experiences and "no" or "I don't know" would indicate the opposite.
Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. It consists of 6 statements related to knowledge about treatments and outcomes for individuals with mental illness. Response options range from strongly agree (6) to strongly disagree (1) on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores across statements indicates a higher level of knowledge about mental illness and a stronger disagreement or lower scores indicates less knowledge about mental illness.
Social Distance Scale
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. This measure assesses participants's comfort level in being around people with mental illness. It was modified to include measures directly related to faith communities (e.g., would you feel comfortable having someone with a serious mental illness as a member of your congregation). There are 7 questions with response options that vary from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6) on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores indicate a higher level of comfort with people with mental illness and stronger disagreement or lower scores indicate a lower level of comfort with people with mental illness.
Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. There are 4 statements related to attitudes toward people with mental illness from this measure. The response options for each statement range from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6) on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores across all questions indicate more negative attitudes toward those with mentally illness and stronger disagreement or lower scores (1) across all questions indicates more positive attitudes toward those with mental illness.
Reported and Intended Behavior Scale
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
These questions are only being given to participants who report that they do not mental illness. The measure is divided into two parts. The first 4 questions ask about the participants current experiences with people with mental illness. Response options include "yes" or "no, or not that I know of". A greater number of yes responses indicates more experience with individuals with mental illness. The second part includes 4 questions asking about a person's willingness to include people with mental illnesses in their life. The response options are from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6) on a 6-point scale with stronger agreement or higher scores on each question indicating a greater willingness to associate with or include or have people with mental illnesses in their life in the future. Stronger disagreement or lower scores across questions indicates less willingness to associate with or include people with mental illnesses in their lives.
Sense of Belonging Scale
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
These 10 questions are only being given to participants who report having a mental illness or a family member with a mental illness. The questions ask participants the degree to which they feel welcomed and that they belong in a given environment. For this study that environment was their congregation. Response options range from strongly agree to strongly disagree on a 6-point scale. Stronger agreement or higher scores (6) on questions 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 , and 10 and stronger disagreement (1) or lower scores on questions 1, 5, and 6 indicate a greater sense of belonging. Stronger disagreement (1) or lower scores to questions 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 and stronger agreement (6) or higher scores to questions 1, 5, and 6 indicate less of a sense of belonging.
2 secondary outcomes
University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Lerman Quality of Life Interview
Time frame: Survey will be administered 2 times at the baseline and 11-12 months later at the end of the study
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 22 Jun 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Increasing Inclusionary Practices in Faith Communities in people with Other, run by Temple University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Inclusionary practices (time frame: Will be measured once per month for the duration of the study up to one year.). The study lists 7 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Jun 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.