Clinical trial NCT01159041: Systems of Support Study for Childhood Depression
Official title: Evaluation of Family Focused Treatment for Childhood Depression
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Depression
Keywords: Depression, children, adolescent, family
Lead sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of California, Los Angeles
name: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
First posted: 2010-07-09
Enrollment: 134
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 7
Maximum age (years): 13
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study is designed to compare two treatments for depression in pre-adolescent (7-13 year old) children. A family-focused treatment will be compared to an individual child-focused treatment in this 14-week intervention.

Detailed description: Childhood-onset depression is an impairing and often recurrent and persistent disorder that impacts current and later development resulting in high personal, social, and economic costs. Despite the costs of early-onset depression, the emphasis in current practice parameters on an initial course of psychosocial treatment, and extensive research on adolescent depression, we currently lack randomized controlled trials evaluating psychosocial treatments for children with depressive disorders.

The present proposal aims to address this gap in knowledge regarding optimal psychosocial treatment strategies for children suffering from depressive disorders. We propose a 2-site randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of Family Focused Treatment (FFT), as compared to an individual client-centered psychotherapy (IP) modeled after "usual" community care. FFT adopts an interpersonal model for understanding how depressive symptoms are maintained, emphasizes developing family skills/strategies for altering interpersonal processes, and works on building a family environment that supports recovery and enhances stress resistance and resilience. This approach may be particularly appropriate to the developmental needs of depressed children, given their dependence on parents, the potential of FFT to address the needs of multiple family members, and our data supporting benefits on depression, functioning, and other co-occurring symptoms.

The proposed project will enroll 140 children (ages 8-12) with depressive disorders. Children will be randomly assigned to receive a 14-week trial of either FFT or IP. At study entry, immediately post-treatment, and at a 9-month post-treatment follow-up all participants will undergo intensive evaluation of clinical state and psychosocial and family functioning.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* current Depressive Disorder
* ages 7-13 years
* living with at least one biological parent willing to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

* thought disturbance
* severe conduct disorders
* unstable on antidepressant medications
* continuation in current non-study treatment
* non-English speaking

Primary outcomes:
measure: Adequate Depression Treatment Response
timeFrame: 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Interviewer-rated Depression Severity
timeFrame: 3 Months
measure: Children's Self-Report of Depression Symptoms
timeFrame: 3 Months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Los Angeles
country: United States
facility: UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
state: California
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Boston University
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
References:
citation: Tompson MC, Pierre CB, Haber FM, Fogler JM, Groff AR, Asarnow JR. Family-focused treatment for childhood-onset depressive disorders: results of an open trial. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;12(3):403-20. doi: 10.1177/1359104507078474.
citation: Tompson MC, Boger KD, Asarnow JR. Enhancing the developmental appropriateness of treatment for depression in youth: integrating the family in treatment. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2012 Apr;21(2):345-84. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2012.01.003. Epub 2012 Mar 17.
citation: Tompson MC, Sugar CA, Langer DA, Asarnow JR. A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Family-Focused Treatment and Individual Supportive Therapy for Depression in Childhood and Early Adolescence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017 Jun;56(6):515-523. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2017.03.018. Epub 2017 Apr 7.
citation: Tompson MC, Langer DA, Hughes JL, Asarnow JR. Family-Focused Treatment for Childhood Depression: Model and Case Illustrations. Cogn Behav Pract. 2017 Aug;24(3):269-287. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.06.003.
citation: Asarnow JR, Tompson MC, Klomhaus AM, Babeva K, Langer DA, Sugar CA. Randomized controlled trial of family-focused treatment for child depression compared to individual psychotherapy: one-year outcomes. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2020 Jun;61(6):662-671. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13162. Epub 2019 Dec 15.