Computerised Behavioural Activation for Young People With Depression

Computerised Behavioural Activation Programme for the Treatment of Depression in Young People: Feasibility Study

The primary aim of this non-randomised feasibility study is to 1) examine the acceptability of a newly developed computerised Behavioural Activation programme (BALM) in treating young people experiencing low mood/depression and 2) assess the feasibility of undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of the intervention.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression; Low Mood
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: BALM

Detailed Description

Approximately 20% of adolescents will have had at least one depressive episode by the age of 18 making depression one of the leading causes of illness and disability in young people. Although receiving effective treatment is important, as few as 35% of young people seek help, with treatment-related issues (e.g. stigma, negative attitudes about help-seeking, accessibility, reluctance to engage one-to-one with a therapist, etc) outlined as reasons for this. Computerised therapies, which have increased availability and accessibility, reduced stigma and can be delivered in a format attractive to many young people may avoid some of these barriers and provide a more effective treatment option for young people.

Behavioural Activation (BA) - a type of talking therapy focused on increasing liked activities has demonstrated effectiveness in treating depression in adults and, owing to this, is an evidence-based treatment for depression within NICE (2009) guidelines. Despite this, less research has examined its use with young people.

We have developed BALM (Behavioural Activation for Low Mood), an online BA programme designed for use with young people experiencing mild to moderate low mood or depression. The development of BALM was based upon the findings of a systematic review and a series of qualitative interviews and focus groups with young people and healthcare professionals.

Eligible young people will be referred to the programme via healthcare professionals working in local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and mental health practitioners based in local secondary schools.

The findings of this research will allow us to refine the intervention and the research methods we employ in preparation for a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the new treatment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • York, United Kingdom
    • Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 9 years to 14 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 11 to 16 years at the date of consent
• Experiencing low mood or depression symptoms as defined by a score of ≥20 on the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire
• In agreement that their primary care provider and a parent/guardian can be informed of any concerns the lead researcher has about their wellbeing during participation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Within the normal range on the measure of depressive symptoms (i.e. attaining a score of ≤19 on the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire)
• Experiencing severe low mood or depression symptoms
• Having a comorbid mental health diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder or Psychosis.
• Non-English speaking (due to the small scope of this study, the option of providing translated versions of BALM and the outcome measures was not feasible)
• Deemed to be actively at risk of self harm or suicide
• Have no access to the internet and therefore no programme access

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Device Feasibility
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Computerised Behavioural Activation Programme; All recruited young people will be given the BALM (Behavioural Activation for Low Mood) programme to work through	Device: BALM; An online Behavioural Activation programme for young people with mild to moderate low mood/depression. The programme comprises 10 treatment sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility of undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of BALM by examining questionnaire response rates	Assessed by examining questionnaire response rates	4 months
Feasibility of undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of BALM by examining the percentage of those eligible who consented	Assessed by examining the percentage of those eligible who consented to the study	4 months
Feasibility of undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of BALM by examining number and reasons for withdrawal	Assessed by examining number and reasons for withdrawal	4 months
Feasibility of undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of BALM by examining session attendance	Assessed by examining session attendance	4 months
To examine the acceptability of BALM in treating young people experiencing low mood/depression by examining session adherence	Assessed by examining session adherence	4 months
To examine the acceptability of BALM in treating young people experiencing low mood/depression by examining responses on an evaluation questionnaire	Assessed by examining responses on an evaluation questionnaire comprising 15 short questions	4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of York
• Investigators: Study Chair: Barry Wright, University of York; Study Chair: Dean McMillan, University of York; Study Chair: Antonina Mikocka-Walus, Deakin University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 10, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 31, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): March 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): March 2, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 12, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2021
• Last Verified: April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Young people
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Depression; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 270172

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No