Depression
Conditions
Keywords
Parents, Child, Stress, CBT
Brief 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.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALFamily Group Cognitive Behavioral
Groups of families receive training in parenting and children learn about coping in ten weekly sessions and then three monthly sessions
BEHAVIORALWritten Information
Families are mailed written materials that describe depression and stress in families with a depressed parent.
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Vanderbilt University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Investigators and outcome assessors are masked to condition of participants.
Intervention model description
Repeated measures ANCOVA design.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
9 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
for Participating Families: * Families with at least one parent with a history of depression during the life of his or her child * Families with at least one child between the age of 10 and 15 * Parent or guardian willing to provide informed consent for participating children
Exclusion criteria
for All Participants: * Parent with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia * Child with conduct disorder or pervasive developmental disorder
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Internalizing and Externalizing symptoms in children | 12 months | Child Behavior Checklist; Youth Self-Report; Internalizing and Externalizing Problems; Minimum T score = 40; Maximum T score = 80; Higher scores reflect worse outcome |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depressive symptoms in parents | 12 months | Patient Health Questionnaire - 9; Total Depression Symptoms; Minimum score = 0; Maximum score = 27; Higher scores reflect worse outcomes |
| Coping skills of children | 12 months | Responses to Stress Questionnaire; Secondary control coping scale; Minimum score = 4; Maximum score = 16; Higher scores reflect better outcomes |
| Parenting skills of parents | 12 months | Parent-child interaction coded |
| Onset of depressive disorders in children | 12 months | Interviews |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed