title: Testing the effectiveness of a mentoring intervention to improve social participation of adolescents with visual impairments: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social participation is challenging for people with visual impairments. As a result, on average, social networks are smaller, romantic relationships formed later, educational achievements lower, and career prospects limited. Adolescents on their way towards achieving these goals may benefit from the knowledge and experience of adults who have overcome similar difficulties. Therefore, a mentoring intervention, called Mentor Support, will be set up and studied in which adolescents with visual impairments are matched with successfully social participating adults with and without visual impairments. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Mentor Support. Secondary aims are to distinguish the importance of the disability-specific experience of mentors, predictors of success, and mediating factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effect of Mentor Support will be tested in a randomized clinical trial, using pre-test one week before starting, post-test after 12 months, and follow-up after 18 months. Participants will be referred to one of the experimental groups or the control group, and this randomization will be stratified according to country region. Three groups are included in the trial: 40 participants will receive Mentor Support by mentors with a visual impairment in combination with care-as-usual, 40 participants will receive Mentor Support by mentors without visual impairments in combination with care-as-usual, and 40 participants will receive care-as-usual only. Mentor Support consists of 12 face-to-face meetings of the mentee with a mentor with an overall time period of one year. On a weekly basis, dyads have contact via email, the Internet, or telephone. The primary outcome measure is improved social participation within three domains (work/school, leisure activities, and social relationships). Mediator variables are psychosocial functioning and self-determination. Predictors such as demographics and personality are also investigated in order to distinguish the pathways to successful social participation. Intention-to-treat and completer analyses will be conducted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The primary outcomes of this trial regard increased social participation. The study may yield insights to further improve effects of support programs to adolescents with visual impairments.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Netherlands Trial Register NTR4768 (registered 4 September 2014).
authors.affiliation: VU University, Section of Clinical Child and Family Studies, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.c.m.heppe@vu.nl.|EMGO Institute of Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.c.m.heppe@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Eline C M
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Heppe
authors.affiliation: VU University, Section of Clinical Child and Family Studies, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.kef@vu.nl.|EMGO Institute of Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.kef@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kef
authors.affiliation: VU University, Section of Clinical Child and Family Studies, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. c.schuengel@vu.nl.|EMGO Institute of Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. c.schuengel@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schuengel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000367:Age Factors; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D009426:Netherlands; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012107:Research Design; D012574:Schools; D012919:Social Behavior; D058992:Social Participation; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult