NCT01147913

Computerized Information-Processing Bias Retraining in Depressed Adolescents

Computerized Information-Processing Bias Retraining in Adolescents With Depression: A Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 48 (actual)
• Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 14 Years – 21 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will examine how well a novel four-session computerized program, designed to help adolescents learn to interpret ambiguous situations less negatively, reduces symptoms of depression and decreases negative information-processing biases.

Detailed description

Major Depression is a markedly impairing disorder that affects up to 20% of adolescents before adulthood, and is associated with significant impairment in adolescents' emotional and social development. While antidepressant medication and psychotherapy are effective in treating some depressed adolescents, approximately 30% fail to respond to a combination of these treatments. Furthermore, many families are reluctant to pursue antidepressant medication for depressed adolescents because of concerns about potentially increasing risk of suicidal ideation. Thus, there is a critical need for effective, non-pharmacological treatments for this population. One promising new intervention consists of modifying negative information-processing biases associated with depression. Recent research has suggested that these biases may be modified using a computerized program that provides repeated exposure to positive interpretations of salient, ambiguous situations, with the goal of interpreting ambiguity less negatively. These modification programs have been efficacious in altering interpretation biases and reducing anxiety in adults with social and specific phobias. Therefore, the proposed study aims to examine the efficacy of an adapted interpretation bias modification program for depressed adolescents. Specifically, the study will examine the efficacy of four sessions of the modification program in altering interpretation biases and reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and negative affect. A total of 60 adolescents (ages 14-21) with symptoms of major depression will be randomly assigned to either the active intervention condition (four sessions of the modification program over two weeks) or an attention control condition. Measures will include a diagnostic interview, self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and negative affect, and a test of interpretation bias in response to ambiguous situations. It is hypothesized that: 1) Compared to adolescents in the attention control condition, adolescents who receive four sessions of the positive interpretive training will experience a significantly larger decrease from baseline to post-treatment in negative interpretation bias (e.g., more positive and fewer negative interpretations of ambiguous situations) on a measure of interpretation bias; and, 2)Compared to adolescents in the attention control condition, adolescents who receive the positive interpretation training will experience a significantly larger decrease from baseline to post-treatment in self-reported state depression, anxiety, and negative affect.

Conditions

• Major Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Computerized Information-Processing Bias Retraining	The intervention consists of the presentation of three-line ambiguous scenarios via a computer program, one line at a time. A disambiguating word fragment completes the scenario (in either a positive or neutral valence, depending on the scenario), after which participants will type the first letter of the word on the keyboard to ensure they are encoding the interpretation valence. The computer will indicate if they have correctly identified the word. This is followed by a Y/N comprehension question. Each session presents 100 training scenarios.
BEHAVIORAL	Attention Control Training	Four sessions of interpretation training for "filler" or neutral scenarios, unrelated to themes associated with depression.

Timeline

• Start date: 2010-03-01
• Primary completion: 2012-04-01
• Completion: 2012-04-01
• First posted: 2010-06-22
• Last updated: 2012-05-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States