Web-based Self-help Intervention for Adolescents With Acute or Remitted Major Depressive Disorder
Condition: Depression; Depressive Disorder; Depressive Symptoms; Depressive Disorder, Major
MeSH terms: Depression; Depressive Disorder; Depressive Disorder, Major
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a web-based self-help
      intervention in adolescents with acute or remitted major depressive disorder. We will examine
      whether this intervention improves positive affect, reduces stress and alleviates negative
      affect and depressive symptoms in adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. We will also investigate
      the rates of adherence among the adolescents who use this web-based intervention and the
      acceptability of the intervention with adolescents.
    

Detailed description: 
      Youth with major depressive disorder often have little knowledge about depression, and do not
      receive an appropriate treatment. Besides little knowledge, concerns about social stigma,
      confidentiality and limited access to mental health services are some of the main barriers to
      seek help. Therefore, highly acceptable and easily accessible information and services as a
      complementary strategy to mental health treatment, such as knowledge about depression and
      self-help strategies, are urgently needed for young people seeking help for depression.

      We developed a website, which provides evidence-based information about depression (e.g.,
      identification, etiology, treatment, and prevention of depression) and will be launched in
      autumn 2021. Furthermore, the website provides information about self-help strategies (e.g.,
      reducing stress, doing exercise, undertaking positive activities), which are meant to serve
      as an addition to professional treatments of depression or to promote mental health in
      adolescents. Target groups of the website are adolescents aged 12 to 18 years seeking help
      for depression, as well as healthy adolescents seeking information about mental health
      promotion or depression.

      To increase the acceptability of the website and the engagement of young people, the website
      will integrate continuously updating content consisting of short exercises based on
      principles of positive psychology. This web-based self-help intervention is thought to
      provide a mode of delivery (the combination: "online" & "positive psychology"), which is
      acceptable and engaging to youth. In addition, the provided self-help exercises might be a
      complementary approach to professional treatments of depression.

      Since the website targets two different groups, we will evaluate the web-based self-help
      intervention accordingly:

      Target group 1: Adolescents with a major depressive disorder (acute or remitted) Target group
      2: Healthy Adolescents (no mental health condition)

      The current study will focus on target group 1. A study focusing on target group 2 can be
      found in a separately registered clinical trial on clinicaltrials.gov.

      The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of this
      web-based self-help intervention to improve positive affect, reduce stress and alleviate
      negative affect and depressive symptoms in adolescents with acute or remitted depressive
      disorder.

      Participating young people will be randomized to either the web-based intervention group or
      the web-based control group (i.e. sham intervention / comparator). All participants will be
      evaluated at pre- and post-intervention, and at a two-week follow-up.
    

Intervention name(s): Two-week web-based self-help intervention based on principles of positive psychology; Two-week web-based text messages containing fun facts
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The web-based self-help intervention consists of 14 exercises based on the following positive psychology domains: personal strengths, pleasure, gratitude, engagement (flow, mindfulness) and positive relationships.
The (partly interactive) exercises are created to be implemented by the participants themselves without support of a therapist.
Before starting the intervention, the participants are told that they will receive a daily email with an instruction for a short exercise over the period of two weeks. The participants are instructed to complete the exercises every day and are told that they will be asked to evaluate these exercises at the next appointment (post-test, week 2).; The web-based sham comparator consists of 14 text messages containing random interesting facts ("fun facts").
Before starting the sham comparator, the participants are told that they will receive a daily email with a text message to read every over the period of two weeks. The participants are instructed to read these text messages every day and are told that they will be asked to evaluate these exercises at the next appointment (post-test, week 2).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Participants are assigned to two groups in parallel for the duration of the study
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Depression; Adolescence; Youth; Web-based Intervention; Self-help; Positive Psychology; Depressive Symptoms; Treatment; Positive Thinking