Gather.Town Gaming for Pregnant Adolescents With Depression
NCT Number: NCT06468020
Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Phases: NA
Conditions: Gamification
Interventions: OTHER: The Gather.town gaming intervention
Sponsor: National Taiwan University
Sex: FEMALE
Age: CHILD, ADULT
Enrollment: 64
Study Design: Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED|Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL|Masking: SINGLE (PARTICIPANT)|Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
Start Date: 2024-12
Completion Date: 2026-01

Summary:
Aim This study aims to explore the experience of depression among pregnant adolescents in Thailand and assess the effectiveness of the Gather.town gaming intervention for relieving depressive symptoms.

Methods The study will adopt an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. It comprises two phases: a qualitative and a quantitative sub-study to answer the research questions.

Phase one is a qualitative sub-study to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of pregnant adolescents with depression and their perceptions of interventions for relieving depressive symptoms. This sub-study will conduct in-depth interviews and content analysis with 20 pregnant adolescents selected through purposive sampling from an antenatal care clinic. The interview results will be used to develop the Gather.town gaming intervention for depression management.

Phase two is a quantitative sub-study conducted through a quasi-experimental design with 64 participants, divided into an intervention group of 32 and a control group of 32. Convenience and snowball sampling will be performed. The effect of the oGBL intervention will be evaluated on the primary outcome of depression symptoms/levels and secondary outcomes including knowledge of depression, coping skills, perceived social support, and help-seeking attitudes. Initial feedback from users on the Gather.town gaming intervention will also be examined. Data will be collected using self-report questionnaires and open-ended questions. Assessments will be conducted at four time points: baseline, after the intervention, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and ANCOVA will be used for data analysis. Finally, data from the qualitative and quantitative sub-studies will be merged to interpret the effects of the Gather.town gaming intervention for depression management among Thai pregnant adolescents.

Primary Outcome Measures: Change from baseline in depression levels, as measured by the Likert scale of the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5), Scores are measured on a Likert scale ranging from 0 to 4. The total score ranges from 0 to 20, with scores more than 15 indicating severe mental distress, scores between 10 and 14 indicating moderate distress, scores between 6 and 9 indicating mild distress, and scores lower than 6 indicating normal status., Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups
Secondary Outcome Measures: Change from baseline in the knowledge of depression, as measured by a true or false questionnaire of the Depression Literacy Questionnaire (D-Lit), Scores are measured using a true or false questionnaire, with one point awarded for each correct answer. The score ranges from 0 to 22, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge., Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups|Change from baseline in the coping skills, as measured by the Likert scale of the Brief COPE, Scores are measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4. The total score ranges from 1 to 112, with higher scores indicating greater use of coping strategies., Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups|Change from baseline in the individual's perceived social support, as measured by the Likert scale of the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MDPSS), cores are measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7. The total score ranges from 1 to 84, with a high total score indicating a high level of perceived social support., Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups|Change from baseline in attitudes toward seeking mental health care from professionals, as measured by the Likert scale of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF)., Scores are measured on a Likert scale ranging from 0 to 3. The total score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher total scores indicating more positive attitudes about seeking help from a professional., Baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups