360 Participants Needed

Coping Skills Program for Depression

Recruiting at 4 trial locations
ME
DB
Overseen ByDara Babinksi, PhD
Age: Any Age
Sex: Any
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: Penn State University
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills for depression?

Research suggests that having strong personal and environmental resources can help people use more active coping strategies, which are linked to better outcomes in dealing with depression. Additionally, programs like STAIRS, which focus on personal recovery and coping skills, have shown positive changes in daily life and social interactions for people recovering from depression.12345

How is the Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills treatment different from other depression treatments?

The Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills (BaSICS) treatment is unique because it focuses on teaching coping skills, social identity development, and collective social action, specifically empowering individuals to connect with their communities and manage stress in positive ways. This approach is particularly novel as it reduces reliance on avoidant coping and addresses both psychological and biological stress responses, which is not commonly emphasized in traditional depression treatments.678910

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this clinical trial is to the efficacy of the Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills intervention within a sample of low-income and minoritized youth aged 11-14 who are seeking mental health treatment and have been placed on a waitlist to receive services.The aims of this study are to: (1) confirm the efficacy of BaSICS by replicating previous findings, (2) Examine the changes of coping mechanisms and symptom change over the course of the BaSICS intervention, and (3) test models of physiologic stress reactivity and regulation to capture biological "risk" and recalibration.Cohorts of 20 participants will randomly be enrolled in either the intervention (10) or control (10) groups. Participants enrolled in the intervention group will complete the BaSICS program and participants enrolled in the no intervention group will not be enrolled in the intervention program. The BaSICS program is designed to help treat anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms and disorders and have direct effects on physiologic stress response systems (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis). Researchers will compare the intervention and no intervention groups to see if there is a difference in the reduction of markers for anxiety, depression, and suicide scores, changes in coping mechanism, and HPA reactivity profiles

Research Team

ME

Martha E Wadsworth, PhD

Principal Investigator

Penn State University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for English-speaking children aged 11-14 from low-income families who are experiencing chronic stress, depression, or anxiety. They must not have an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, high suicidal risk, or severe depression.

Inclusion Criteria

Family income at or below 200% federal poverty level
I am between 11 and 14 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

Intellectual disability
High suicidal risk (score of 17 or more on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-Kid))
I have severe depression, as indicated by my PHQ score.
See 1 more

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants in the intervention group complete 16 twice-weekly BaSICS sessions focusing on coping skills, identity development, and collective action

8 weeks
16 sessions (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants complete pre- and post-intervention assessments, as well as 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments to monitor changes in anxiety, depression, coping skills, and HPA reactivity

12 months
3 follow-up assessments (in-person)

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills
Trial Overview The study tests the 'Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills' (BaSICS) program on youth waiting for mental health treatment. It aims to replicate previous positive results and examine changes in coping skills and stress response systems.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: BaSICS InterventionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Intervention = Building a String Identity and Coping Skills (BaSICS). Children randomized to participate in 16 twice weekly BaSICS intervention sessions. Children learn coping skills, identity development, and collective action as ways to buffer against chronic stress. These children also complete pre- and post-intervention assessments, as well as 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments.
Group II: ControlActive Control1 Intervention
These children complete assessments only--timed to coincide with the intervention groups' assessments: pre- and post-intervention assessments, as well as 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments. No intervention.

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Penn State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials
380
Recruited
131,000+

Findings from Research

The Teaching Kids to Cope (TKC) program is a 10-week psychoeducational intervention that has shown promising results in reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing coping skills among adolescents.
While initial findings are positive, further research with larger groups is necessary to fully assess the effectiveness of the TKC intervention.
Teaching kids to cope: a preventive mental health nursing strategy for adolescents.Puskar, KR., Lamb, J., Tusaie-Mumford, K.[2019]

References

Personal and contextual determinants of coping strategies. [2023]
Storytelling and training to advance individual recovery skills (STAIRS). A feasibility study of a blended program to support personal recovery among patients with a major depressive disorder in remission. [2022]
Gender differences in depression risk and coping factors in a clinical sample. [2019]
Are depressed patients' coping strategies associated with psychotherapy treatment outcomes? [2022]
Dual diagnosis patients in substance abuse treatment: relationship of general coping and substance-specific coping to 1-year outcomes. [2019]
Life Adaptation Skills Training (LAST) for persons with depression: A randomized controlled study. [2022]
Stress management training for women on public assistance. [2019]
Reducing the Biological and Psychological Toxicity of Poverty-related Stress: Initial Efficacy of the BaSICS Intervention for Early Adolescents. [2023]
[An examination of a revised psycho-educational program for preventing depression among female undergraduates]. [2019]
Teaching kids to cope: a preventive mental health nursing strategy for adolescents. [2019]
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