Neural Mechanisms of Family-Focused Treatment for Youth Depression

Conditions

• Childhood Depression

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

7 Years - 12 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Family-Focused Treatment for Childhood-Depression (FFT-CD) — BEHAVIORAL
  This intervention includes 12 one-hour, in-person sessions. FFT-CD was designed to help families gain skills to combat depression and create ways of interacting that protect the child from the negative sequelae of stress. Within a broad psychoeducational framework, interpersonal factors impacting youth depression and the interplay of mood and interpersonal interactions are emphasized. Participants are taught to identify Upward Spirals - positive interactions fueling positive moods leading further upward - and Downward Spirals - negative interactions fueling negative moods leading further downward. The treatment rationale is "to stop downward spirals and to start upward spirals"; this idea provides a foundation for skills building to help the child and family better navigate stress. Handouts, role-playing, behavioral rehearsal, and homework assignments are all used to help shape behaviors.

Study Details

The goal of this interventional study is to compare the baseline neural mechanisms and parenting in depressed and non-depressed children and to examine baseline neural mechanisms and parenting as predictors of Family-Focused Treatment for Childhood-Depression (FFT-CD) outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What are differences between depressed and non-depressed participants on baseline neural and parenting indicators? * Do baseline neural and parenting indicators predict response to FFT-CD? * Does change in parenting and neural functioning mediate change in depression from baseline to follow-up? Participants will: * complete baseline clinical measures * complete neuroimaging tasks via Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMR) * undergo a 12-session course of FFT-CD * complete follow up evaluations and neuroimaging

Key Dates

Start date

Aug 20, 2024

Status verified

Aug 2024

Primary completion

Mar 31, 2027

Completion

Nov 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants (estimated)

Allocation

NA

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Depressed Group
  20 children with depression and their parents (40 participants total) will undergo a 12-session course of FFT-CD.

Primary Outcome Measure

Depression Treatment Response [ Time Frame: 4 months (post-treatment) ]

Central Contacts

• Martha C Tompson, PhD
  617-353-9495
  [email protected]

Locations (2)

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