Telehealth Behavioral Activation for Teens

NCT ID: NCT06273995

Last Updated: 2025-07-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 250 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2029-12-01

Brief Summary

Behavioral activation is one such empirically supported intervention. Derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy, a well-established treatment for depression, behavioral activation uses psychoeducation and skill-building to increase an individual's engagement in valued and enjoyable activities (e.g., socializing with family and friends, exercising, participating in a hobby) in order to improve depressive symptoms. Research has shown that behavioral activation is an effective intervention for depressed youth. Additionally, it has been shown as a promising intervention that can be conducted in a brief, virtual format and can be effectively implemented by both trained clinicians and trained, non-licensed interventionists. This project will provide Behavioral Activation for youth (12-17) experiencing depression or suicidal ideation who are currently enrolled in the Youth Depression Suicide Network study in Texas.

Detailed Description

Rates of youth depression and suicide are rising worldwide and present a critical public health problem. Between 2007 and 2018, rates of fatal suicide among U.S. youth and young adults increased by 57.4%, becoming the second leading cause of all deaths for Americans between the ages of 10 and 34 in 2020. Similarly, between 2009 and 2019, rates of past year major depressive episodes among adolescents in the United States increased from 8.1% to 15.8% (roughly 1 in 6). Despite these high rates of suicide and depression, Texas is rated 51st in access to mental healthcare in the United States. As untreated youth depression tends to persist and has been related to poorer functioning in adulthood, there is a need to increase access to empirically supported treatment for depressed adolescents.

Behavioral activation is one such empirically supported intervention. Derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy, a well-established treatment for depression, behavioral activation uses psychoeducation and skill-building to increase an individual's engagement in valued and enjoyable activities (e.g., socializing with family and friends, exercising, participating in a hobby) in order to improve depressive symptoms. Research has shown that behavioral activation is an effective intervention for depressed youth. Additionally, it has been shown as a promising intervention that can be conducted in a brief, virtual format and can be effectively implemented by both trained clinicians and trained, non-licensed interventionists.

Conditions

Depression; Suicide and Self-harm; Depression in Adolescence; Depression Mild; Depression Moderate; Depression Severe

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Behavioral Activation (BA)

Behavioral activation is one such empirically supported intervention. Derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy, a well-established treatment for depression, behavioral activation uses psychoeducation and skill-building to increase an individual's engagement in valued and enjoyable activities (e.g., socializing with family and friends, exercising, participating in a hobby) in order to improve depressive symptoms

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral Activation

Intervention Type: OTHER

All participants will undergo behavioral activation treatment for 8-10 weeks

Interventions

Behavioral Activation

All participants will undergo behavioral activation treatment for 8-10 weeks

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Participants must be enrolled in the Texas Youth Depression Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN) Registry Study;

2. Be between the ages of 12- 18 or currently enrolled in high school;

3. Have a caregiver that is willing to participate in the program;

4. Be able to commit to weekly sessions for eight weeks;

5. Be currently experiencing depressive symptoms;

6. Be able to participate in telehealth services within the state of Texas;

7. Be willing to provide consent/assent (parents/legally authorized representative (LAR)/guardian or young adult participant, aged 18 or older, must be willing to provide consent; youth, aged 12-17, must be willing to provide assent);

8. Be able to read, write and speak English or Spanish sufficiently to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent to participate in the study;

9. Be willing to dedicate appropriate time to complete scheduled study assessment and measures and attend intervention sessions (both parent/LAR/guardian and youth)

10. Be able to provide a reliable means of contact.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Have an acute medical or psychological condition(s) that that would, in the judgment of the study medical clinician, make participation difficult or unsafe;

2. Have an acute medical or psychological condition(s) that would result in an inability to accurately complete study requirements (e.g., neurological conditions or significant neurodevelopmental concerns);

3. Have active psychotic or manic symptoms resulting in altered mental status and inability to provide assent or requiring immediate attention and/or higher level of intervention;

4. Have a parent/LAR/guardian who is deemed cognitively unable to provide consent (if youth participant, aged 12-17).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Texas

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Baylor College of Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Eric A Storch

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Emily Bivins, B.S.

Role: CONTACT

emily.bivins@bcm.edu

713-798-1709

Eric Storch, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

eric.storch@bcm.edu

(713) 798-3579

Facility Contacts

Eric Storch, Ph.D.

Role: primary

eric.storch@bcm.edu

713-798-3080

References

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 37088508 (View on PubMed)

Copeland WE, Alaie I, Jonsson U, Shanahan L. Associations of Childhood and Adolescent Depression With Adult Psychiatric and Functional Outcomes. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021 May;60(5):604-611. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.895. Epub 2020 Aug 3.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 32758528 (View on PubMed)

Curtin SC. State Suicide Rates Among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2018. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2020 Sep;69(11):1-10.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 33054915 (View on PubMed)

Daly M. Prevalence of Depression Among Adolescents in the U.S. From 2009 to 2019: Analysis of Trends by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Income. J Adolesc Health. 2022 Mar;70(3):496-499. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.08.026. Epub 2021 Oct 16.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 34663534 (View on PubMed)

Garnett MF, Curtin SC, Stone DM. Suicide Mortality in the United States, 2000-2020. NCHS Data Brief. 2022 Mar;(433):1-8.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 35312475 (View on PubMed)

Kanter JW, Manos RC, Bowe WM, Baruch DE, Busch AM, Rusch LC. What is behavioral activation? A review of the empirical literature. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010 Aug;30(6):608-20. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.04.001.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 20677369 (View on PubMed)

Lebrun-Harris LA, Ghandour RM, Kogan MD, Warren MD. Five-Year Trends in US Children's Health and Well-being, 2016-2020. JAMA Pediatr. 2022 Jul 1;176(7):e220056. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0056. Epub 2022 Jul 5.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 35285883 (View on PubMed)

McCauley E, Gudmundsen G, Schloredt K, Martell C, Rhew I, Hubley S, Dimidjian S. The Adolescent Behavioral Activation Program: Adapting Behavioral Activation as a Treatment for Depression in Adolescence. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2016;45(3):291-304. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2014.979933. Epub 2015 Jan 20.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25602170 (View on PubMed)

Reinert, M, Fritze, D. & Nguyen, T. (2021). "The State of Mental Health in America 2022"

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Ritschel, L. A., Ramirez, C. L., Cooley, J. L., & Craighead, W. E. (2016). Behavioral activation for major depression in adolescents: Results from a pilot study. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 23, 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12140

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Trombello JM, South C, Sanchez A, Kahalnik F, Kennard BD, Trivedi MH. Two Trajectories of Depressive Symptom Reduction Throughout Behavioral Activation Teletherapy Among Underserved, Ethnically Diverse, Primary Care Patients: A VitalSign6 Report. Behav Ther. 2020 Nov;51(6):958-971. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2020.01.002. Epub 2020 Jan 11.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 33051037 (View on PubMed)

Uphoff E, Ekers D, Robertson L, Dawson S, Sanger E, South E, Samaan Z, Richards D, Meader N, Churchill R. Behavioural activation therapy for depression in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Jul 6;7(7):CD013305. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013305.pub2.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 32628293 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

H-54233

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id