None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a novel relationships-focused family cognitive behavioural therapy intervention in reducing bullying victimisation and mental illness of adolescents. We hypothesise that Teen Connect Triple P (TCTP) will reduce bullying victimisation and symptoms of mental illness such as depression and anxiety in adolescents who participate, in addition to improving their supportive relationships. The efficacy of the intervention will be evaluated through online questionnaires before (0 months) and after the intervention (3 months), and through a 12-month follow-up online questionnaire. Adolescents will participate in the program over 6 x 1.5 hour weekly therapist led sessions conducted online via Zoom. Their parents will participate in separate sessions over the same time period. Adolescents learn how to strengthen friendships, interpret motives of peers, address issues calmly and assertively, resolve conflicts and seek help from their parents when needed. Parents learn how to support their adolescent’s friendships, listen to their adolescent’s concerns (without over-reacting or taking over), help their adolescent interpret peer motives, coach their adolescent in managing problems, and support their adolescents in making decisions and becoming independent. In each session, therapists educate participants about effective strategies through directed group discussions, skills-building exercises (modelling and role plays) and goal-setting for personal use. The TCTP intervention will be compared to an appropriate active control condition - 'The Blues program.' This is an existing cognitive behavioural program, previously found to reduce depressive symptoms compared with a waiting list control group. It is similar to the kind of psychological treatment adolescents with emotional problems would receive at an Australian mental health clinic. Both TCTP and the Blues Program could be delivered face-to-face. However, we are investigating the feasibility of delivering these interventions through facilitated online group Zoom sessions to minimise disruptions due to the current pandemic and to enable recruitment throughout Australia.
Interventions
The design is a randomised controlled trial with two arms. The intervention arm is a novel cognitive behavioural intervention designed for this study; it aims to strengthen the adolescent’s supportive relationships (Teen Connect Triple P; TCTP). We will be using an active control condition; the Blues Program is an existing cognitive behavioural program typical of those used in Australian mental health clinics for adolescents with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Both arms will be delivered by
The design is a randomised controlled trial with two arms. The intervention arm is a novel cognitive behavioural intervention designed for this study; it aims to strengthen the adolescent’s supportive relationships (Teen Connect Triple P; TCTP). We will be using an active control condition; the Blues Program is an existing cognitive behavioural program typical of those used in Australian mental health clinics for adolescents with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Both arms will be delivered by therapists enrolled in advanced post-graduate clinical psychology training under the supervision of endorsed Clinical Psychologists. The interventions will be delivered online via Zoom. Participants will be in their own homes and therapists will be located at either The University of Queensland or QIMR Berghofer. Interventions consist of six weekly therapist-led group sessions of 1.5 hours each. Each adolescent will participate in a group with 5 other adolescents. Altogether, there will be 8 groups of TCTP and 8 groups of the Blues Program. In TCTP, parents will also participate (also in groups of 6) in parallel sessions to their teenagers. Adolescents and their parents participate in separate streams focusing on reciprocal social and emotional skills. Adolescents learn how to strengthen friendships, interpret motives of peers, address issues calmly and assertively, resolve conflicts and seek help from their parents when needed. Parents learn how to support their adolescent’s friendships, listen to their adolescent’s concerns (without over-reacting or taking over), help their adolescent interpret peer motives, coach their adolescent in managing problems, and support their adolescents in making decisions and becoming independent. In each session, therapists educate participants about effective strategies through directed group discussions, skills-building exercises (modelling and role plays) and goal-setting for personal use. Both TCTP and The Blues Program are manualised meaning that there are set workbooks for adolescents (and parents for TCTP), prescribed activities for therapists to facilitate and set information for therapists to deliver and pre-set homework tasks for therapists to set for each session. Regarding fidelity, research assistants will attend 33% of groups to evaluate this through protocol checklists. The parent and teenager workbooks for the Teen Connect Triple P program have been developed for this study.
Sponsors
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
11 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
To be eligible to participate in this study. The family must meet all of the following criteria: (1) An adolescent/child enrolled in an Australian school in Years 7-12 (ages 11-19 years) (2) In the initial screening interview, the parent’s score is in the elevated (borderline) range for both the Peer Problems (i.e. a score of 3/10 or higher) and the Emotional problems subscale (i.e. a score of 4/10 or higher) of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (a standard screening instrument) (3) The parent reports they have access to the minimal technology (a phone or computer with a camera and microphone and reliable internet access), that will allow participation in online sessions through Zoom.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria include: (1) Adolescents who attend special schools (and are therefore likely to have developmental delays affecting language), (2) Families that report other barriers to parental and adolescent participation in an online program such as insufficient English language, a severe visual or hearing impairment that will impede full participation in sessions, and (3) Either an answer of “yes” to both questions about adolescent suicidality either in the initial parent interview or the initial online adolescent questionnaire OR a determination that the adolescent is actively suicidal (currently considered or intended plan of action) during their follow-up phone-call if the adolescent answered “yes” to one of the suicidality screeners in the online questionnaire.
Outcome results
None listed