The effectiveness of a new computerised treatment, "Stressbusters", for young people (aged 11 to 16 years) with symptoms of depression

Randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing a computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program, called ?Stressbusters?, to a wait-list control condition, in young people aged 11-16 years

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN83507297

Enrollment

1146

Registered

2011-12-21

Start date

2011-03-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2016-10-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Depression Mental and Behavioural Disorders Depressive episode, unspecified

Interventions

Randomised controlled trial comparing Stressbusters to wait-list control, conducted out of two secondary schools. Individual randomisation, stratified according to age, gender, and symptom severity.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Part 1 (screening stage): All consenting young people (male and female), in Years 7 to 12 (aged 11-16 years) attending mainstream secondary school. Part 2 (Stressbusters RCT): 1. Young people (male and female), aged 11-16 years old currently experiencing significant symptoms of depression, as identified in Part 1. 2. A score of 20 or greater on a brief standardised self report measure of depression for young people, the Mood & Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ, Angold, Costello, et al 1987). This well-established threshold has 70% sensitivity and 81% specificity for detecting any mood disorder, including Major Depression and Dysthymia (Daviss et al 2006).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Part 1 (screening stage): Young people who are unable to read English. Part 2 (Stressbusters RCT): 1. Young people who are receiving treatment for a mood disorder from their GP or local CAMHS clinic 2. Those reporting significant current risk of suicide

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Severity of depression symptoms, as measured by the self-report Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ; Costello and Angold, 1988). The MFQ is to be administered pre- and post-intervention and again at three and six months follow up.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Severity of self-reported anxiety symptoms, as measured by the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED; Birmaher et al., 2002). The SCARED is to be administered pre- and post-treatment and again at three and six months follow up. 2. Severity of depression, anxiety, and emotional and behavioural problems as reported by parents and teachers using standardised report measures (MFQ-Parent report; SCARED-Parent report, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for teachers). These measures are to be administered pre- and post-treatment and again at three and six months follow up. 3. Changes in young peoples thinking styles, as measured by the Children?s Response Style Questionnaire (CRSQ; Abela, Brozina, & Haigh, 2002).	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Severity of self-reported anxiety symptoms, as measured by the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED; Birmaher et al., 2002). The SCARED is to be administered pre- and post-treatment and again at three and six months follow up. 2. Severity of depression, anxiety, and emotional and behavioural problems as reported by parents and teachers using standardised report measures (MFQ-Parent report; SCARED-Parent report, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for teachers). These measures are to be administered pre- and post-treatment and again at three and six months follow up. 3. Changes in young peoples thinking styles, as measured by the Children?s Response Style Questionnaire (CRSQ; Abela, Brozina, & Haigh, 2002).

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Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026