NCT00883519

The Efficacy of Parent Involvement in the Treatment of Adolescent Depression

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1 / Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The primary aim of this study is to examine whether adolescent depression and the family context in which it develops is best treated using an individual adolescent intervention or an intervention that includes both the adolescent and the parents. This will be accomplished by conducting a randomized controlled pilot study of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A) in comparison to Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents and Parents (IPT-AP).

Detailed description

The primary aim of this project is to examine whether adolescent depression and the family context within which it develops is best treated using an individual adolescent intervention or an intervention that includes both the adolescent and the parents. This will be accomplished by conducting a randomized controlled pilot study of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A) in comparison to Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents and Parents (IPT-AP). Twenty-two families with adolescents (ages 12-17) who meet criteria for major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, depressive disorder NOS, or adjustment disorder with depressed mood and also report elevated levels of parent-adolescent relationship problems will be randomized to receive IPT-A or IPT-AP. Assessments will be administered at screening, baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12, week 16 (post-treatment), and 4 months post-treatment. Outcome measures will include depression symptoms, quality of parent-adolescent relationships, parents' and adolescents' communication skills (assessed through observational coding of a parent-adolescent conflict negotiation task), and adolescents' physiological stress responses to negotiating conflict with a parent (assessed through collection of salivary cortisol). Identifying the best approach to treating both the adolescent's depression and the family environment in which it develops and is maintained would have significant implications for the long-term outcomes of depressed adolescents and their families.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder
• Dysthymic Disorder
• Depressive Disorder NOS
• Adjustment Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents	12 psychotherapy sessions delivered over 16 weeks
BEHAVIORAL	Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents and Parents	12 psychotherapy sessions delivered over 16 weeks

Timeline

• Start date: 2009-01-01
• Primary completion: 2010-12-01
• Completion: 2010-12-01
• First posted: 2009-04-17
• Last updated: 2012-04-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States