NCT00183482

Family Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Preventing Depression in Children

Family Cognitive Behavioral Prevention of Depression in Children of Parents With a History of Major Depressive Disorder

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 304 (actual)
• Sponsor: Vanderbilt University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 9 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus educational treatment in preventing depression in the children of parents with a history of depression.

Detailed description

Depression is a serious condition that can affect a person's work, relationships, and quality of life. Studies have shown that children of depressed parents are at a higher risk for developing depression than those whose parents have not experienced depression. Safe and effective treatments that can help prevent children of depressed parents from becoming depressed are needed. This study will compare CBT to depression education to determine which is more effective in preventing depression in the children of depressed parents. Families will be randomly assigned to receive weekly sessions of either CBT or depression education for 12 weeks. Parents in the CBT group will be taught skills to more effectively raise their children and to better manage their depressive symptoms; their children will be taught skills to cope with the stress of their parents' depression. Families in the education group will be informed about the ways that depression can affect individuals with depression and their families. Study visits will occur at study entry and at Week 12. Several follow-up visits will occur for up to 2 years after the interventional part of the study. At each visit, a clinician will make direct observations of the depressed parent's interaction with his or her children. In addition, families will be interviewed and will complete questionnaires about the parent's depressive symptoms and family interaction.

Conditions

• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Family Group Cognitive Behavioral	Groups of families receive training in parenting and children learn about coping in ten weekly sessions and then three monthly sessions
BEHAVIORAL	Written Information	Families are mailed written materials that describe depression and stress in families with a depressed parent.

Timeline

• Start date: 2014-08-01
• Primary completion: 2023-12-30
• Completion: 2023-12-31
• First posted: 2005-09-16
• Last updated: 2024-01-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States