(PS3-70) Examining Stressors, Psychopathology, and Implementation of a SPARCS-Based Mentoring Intervention

Abstract Text: Adolescents in urban environments experience chronic stressors that increase their risk for psychopathology, yet scalable, community-based interventions remain limited. The Cities Project at DePaul University implements a school-based mentoring intervention integrating Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS), a trauma-informed, DBT-based intervention designed to enhance emotion regulation, problem-solving, and resilience-building skills. This study evaluates both the effectiveness and implementation of the intervention by comparing psychosocial outcomes between students receiving SPARCS-based mentoring and those in a toolkit control group (treatment as usual).

Using data from the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-3) and the Multidimensional Experience of Stress (MEM), we assess stress exposure, coping mechanisms, and mental health outcomes, including changes in internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Quantitative analyses using ANOVA examine group differences in psychosocial outcomes, while qualitative data explore mentor-mentee engagement, curriculum fidelity, school-based adaptability, and barriers or facilitators to implementation. Given the DBT foundations of SPARCS, we explore how its core components—mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation—contribute to psychosocial improvements.

Preliminary quantitative findings indicate that students in the intervention group demonstrate lower levels of psychopathology and improved stress responses compared to controls. Qualitative insights from mentors and school staff highlight both the strengths and challenges of integrating SPARCS-based mentoring into school settings. These results emphasize the significance of trauma-informed, DBT-based school-based interventions while offering practical recommendations for scaling and sustaining mentoring-based mental health programs in urban schools.