Disorders - Depressive Disorders
Reavley, Nicola, Jorm, Anthony F.
Background: Aims: Methods: Results: Conclusions: The age at which most young people are in higher education is also the age of peak onset for mental and substance use disorders, with these having their first onset before age 24 in 75% of cases. In most developed countries, over 50% of young people are in higher education.To review the evidence for prevention and early intervention in mental health problems in higher education students. The review was limited to interventions targeted to anxiety, depression and alcohol misuse.Interventions to review were identified by searching PubMed, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Interventions were included if they were designed to specifically prevent or intervene early in the general (non-health professional) higher education student population, in one or more of the following areas: anxiety, depression or alcohol misuse symptoms, mental health literacy, stigma and one or more behavioural outcomes.For interventions to prevent or intervene early for alcohol misuse, evidence of effectiveness is strongest for brief motivational interventions and for personalized normative interventions delivered using computers or in individual face-to-face sessions. Few interventions to prevent or intervene early with depression or anxiety were identified. These were mostly face-to-face, cognitive-behavioural/skill-based interventions. One social marketing intervention to raise awareness of depression and treatments showed some evidence of effectiveness.There is very limited evidence that interventions are effective in preventing or intervening early with depression and anxiety disorders in higher education students. Further studies, possibly involving interventions that have shown promise in other populations, are needed.
Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 4(2) : 132-142
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
Richardson, Thomas, Stallard, Paul, Velleman, Sophie
Research has shown that computerised cognitive behaviour therapy (cCBT) can be effective in the treatment of depression and anxiety in adults, although the outcomes with children and adolescents are unclear. The aim of the study is to systematically review the literature on the effectiveness of cCBT for the prevention and treatment of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. EMBASE, PsycINFO and Pubmed were searched using specific terms and inclusion criteria for cCBT studies involving young people under the age of 18. A hand search was also conducted, and the authors were contacted to identify additional papers. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. These included case series and randomised controlled trials concerned with both treatment and prevention. Six different software packages were described that varied in length and the nature and extent of professional contact and supervision. All studies reported reductions in clinical symptoms and also improvements in variables such as behaviour, self-esteem and cognitions. Satisfaction with treatment was moderate to high from both children and parents, though levels of drop out and non-completion were often high. Additional randomised controlled trials are required, as the literature is currently limited. However, preliminary evidence suggests that cCBT is an acceptable and effective intervention for this age group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 13(3) : 275-290
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
, Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)
, Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
, Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Stice, Eric, Rohde, Paul, Gau, Jeff M., Wade, Emily
Objective: To evaluate the effects of a brief group cognitive - behavioral (CB) depression prevention program for high-risk adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms at 1- and 2-year follow-up. Method: In this indicated prevention trial, 341 at-risk youths were randomized to a group CB intervention, group supportive expressive intervention, CB bibliotherapy, or educational brochure control condition. Results: Significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms were shown by group CB participants relative to brochure control participants by 1-year follow-up and bibliotherapy participants by 1- and 2-year follow-up but not relative to supportive expressive participants. Supportive expressive participants showed greater symptom reduction than CB bibliotherapy participants did at 2-year follow-up. Risk for onset of major or minor depression over the 2-year follow-up was significantly lower for group CB participants (14%; odds ratio = 2.2) and CB bibliotherapy participants (3%; odds ratio = 8.1) than for brochure controls (23%). Conclusions: Results indicate that this group CB intervention reduces initial symptoms and risk for future depressive episodes, although both supportive expressive therapy and CB bibliotherapy also produce intervention effects that persist long term. Indeed, CB bibliotherapy emerged as the least expensive method of reducing risk for future episodes of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 78(6) : 856-867
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT)
, Supportive therapy, Self-help
Roberts, C. M., Kane, R., Bishop, B., Cross, D., Fenton, J., Hart, B.
A randomised controlled trial evaluated the Aussie Optimism Program in preventing anxiety and depression. Grade 7 students (n = 496) from disadvantaged government schools in Perth Western Australia, participated. Six schools were randomly assigned to Aussie Optimism and six schools received their usual health education lessons. Students completed questionnaires on depression, anxiety, attribution style, and social skills. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. No significant group effects were found for student-reported data. Parents of intervention group only students reported reductions in internalizing problems at post-test. No follow-up group effects were significant. Students and teachers found the program acceptable. Crown Copyright (copyright) 2009.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 48(1) : 68-73
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Psychoeducation, Skills training
Young, Jami F.,
Background: The study evaluated the efficacy of an indicated prevention program for adolescent depression. Methods: Fifty-seven adolescents with elevated depression symptoms were randomized to receive Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST) or school counseling (SC). Hierarchical linear modeling examined differences in rates of change in depression symptoms and overall functioning and analysis of covariance examined mean differences between groups. Rates of depression diagnoses in the 18-month follow-up period were compared. Results: Adolescents in IPT-AST reported significantly greater rates of change in depression symptoms and overall functioning than SC adolescents from baseline to post-intervention. At post-intervention, IPT-AST adolescents reported significantly fewer depression symptoms and better overall functioning. During the follow-up phase, rates of change slowed for the IPT-AST adolescents, whereas the SC adolescents continued to show improvements. By 12-month follow-up, there were no significant mean differences in depression symptoms or overall functioning between the two groups. IPT-AST adolescents reported significantly fewer depression diagnoses in the first 6 months following the intervention but by 12-month follow-up the difference in rates of diagnoses was no longer significant. Conclusions: IPT-AST leads to an immediate reduction in depression symptoms and improvement in overall functioning. However, the benefits of IPT-AST are not consistent beyond the 6-month follow-up, suggesting that the preventive effects of the program in its current format are limited. Future studies are needed to examine whether booster sessions lengthen the long-term effects of IPT-AST. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Depression & Anxiety, 27(5) : 426-433
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
, Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
, Skills training, Other Psychological Interventions
Thapar, Anita, Collishaw, Stephan, Potter, Robert, Thapar, Ajay K.
British Medical Journal, 340 : c209-c209
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
, Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions (any)
, Psychological Interventions (any)
Wells, T. T., Beevers, C. G.
Selective attention for dysphoric stimuli has been observed in individuals with depression and those at risk for depression. To date, no studies have investigated the effects of directly manipulating selective attention for dysphoric stimuli on depressive symptoms. Mild to moderately depressed college students (N = 34) were randomly assigned to complete 4 sessions of either attention training (AT) or no training (NT) during a two-week period. Participants completed self-reported assessments of depressive symptoms at baseline, post-training, and follow-up. Participants in the AT condition had a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms from baseline to follow-up than participants in the NT condition. This group difference was mediated by change in attention bias. Our findings suggest that biased attention may have a causal role in the maintenance of depressive symptoms. (copyright) 2009 Psychology Press.
Cognition & Emotion, 24(4) : 719-728
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Attention/cognitive bias modification
Sawyer, Michael G., Harchak, Taylor F., Spence, Susan H., Bond, Lyndal, Graetz, Brian, Kay, Debra, Patton, George, Sheffield, Jeanie
Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of a universal intervention designed to reduce depressive symptoms experienced by adolescents at high school. The results from annual assessments during the 3-year intervention and a 2-year follow-up are reported. Methods: Twenty-five pairs of secondary schools matched on socio-economic status were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a comparison group (n = 5,633 year 8 students, mean age = 13.1 years, SD = .5). The intervention used a comprehensive classroom curriculum program, enhancements to school climate, improvements in care pathways, and community forums. A range of measures completed by students and teachers was used to assess changes in depressive symptoms, risk and protective factors relevant to depression, and the quality of the school environment. Results: Changes in the levels of depressive symptoms and in the levels of risk and protective factors experienced by students in the two groups did not differ significantly over the 5 years of the study. Statistically significant differences in the ratings of school climate across this time were found only for teacher-rated assessments. Conclusions: There was little evidence that a multicomponent universal intervention delivered over a 3-year period reduced levels of depressive symptoms among participating students. Implementing universal interventions to improve student mental health is difficult in school settings that commonly have a crowded agenda of educational and health-related programs. Successful implementation will require programs which are perceived by teachers and students as relevant to educational and learning goals, and which can be effectively delivered in conjunction with other school programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(3) : 297-304
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Controlled clinical trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
, Other Psychological Interventions
Bowden, D., Goddard, L., Gruzelier, J.
The study investigated whether participants who received Reiki would show greater health and well-being benefits than a group who received no Reiki. A method of blinding participants to Reiki was also tested, where non-contact Reiki or No-Reiki with random assignment was given to 35 healthy psychology undergraduates whose attention was absorbed in one of three tasks involving self-hypnosis/relaxation. Participants experienced ten 20-min intervention sessions over a period of two and a half to 12 weeks. Reiki was directed by the experimenter who sat behind the participants as they were absorbed in the tasks. Self-report measures of illness symptoms, mood and sleep were assessed pre - post-intervention as was salivary cortisol. While the Reiki group had a tendency towards a reduction in illness symptoms, a substantive increase was seen in the No-Reiki. The Reiki group also had a near-significant comparative reduction in stress, although they also had significantly higher baseline illness symptoms and stress scores. The Reiki blinding was successful - the groups did not differ statistically in their beliefs regarding group membership. The results are suggestive that the Reiki buffered the substantive decline in health in the course of the academic year seen in the No-Reiki group.
Brain Research Bulletin, 81 : 66-72
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Other complementary & alternative interventions
Beets, M. W., Mitchell, E.
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of yoga on stress, depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in a nonclinical, bi-ethnic sample of adolescents. Fifty-five students (13.9 (plus or minus) 1.9 years, 50% girls, 49% Hispanic) attending one rural public high school received either 2 weeks of yoga followed by 2 weeks removal or 2 weeks of no treatment followed by 2 weeks of yoga. Primary outcome measures were the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and HRQL-KINDL. Significant ( p <.05) treatment effects were observed for PSS, the overall KINDL HRQL, and physical health, general feelings, and self-esteem KINDL subscales. Despite short program exposure, acute changes in mental health indicators were observed and continued after 2 weeks of treatment removal. (copyright) 2010 Springer Publishing Company.
Hispanic Health Care International, 8(1) : 47-53
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative Interventions (CAM)
, Mind-body exercises (e.g. yoga, tai chi, qigong)
Calear, Alison L., Christensen, Helen
A systematic review was conducted to identify and describe school-based prevention and early intervention programs for depression and to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms. Forty-two randomised controlled trials, relating to 28 individual school-based programs, were identified through the Cochrane Library, PsycInfo and PubMed databases. A large proportion of the programs identified were based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and delivered by a mental health professional or graduate student over 8-12 sessions. Indicated programs, which targeted students exhibiting elevated levels of depression, were found to be the most effective, with effect sizes for all programs ranging from 0.21 to 1.40. Teacher program leaders and the employment of attention control conditions were associated with fewer significant effects. Further school-based research is required that involves the use of attention controls, long-term follow-ups and which focuses on the training and evaluation of sustainable program leaders, such as teachers.
Journal of Adolescence, 33(3) : 429-438
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions (any)
Christensen, H., Pallister, E., Smale, S., Hickie, I. B., Calear, A. L.
Little is known about the effectiveness of prevention and early intervention programs for young people and adolescents once they leave or dropout from school. The effectiveness of 18 anxiety and 26 depression studies addressing prevention in community programs were identified using systematic review methodology. Anxiety and depression symptoms were reduced in ~60% of the programs. Cognitive behavioral therapy programs were more common than other interventions and were consistently found to lower symptoms or prevent depression or anxiety. Automated or computerized interventions showed promise, with 60% of anxiety programs and 83% of depression programs yielding successful outcomes on at least one measure. Further research is needed to determine the active components of successful programs, to explore cost-effectiveness and scalability factors, to investigate individual predictors of successful outcome, and to design best practice prevention programs.
Journal of Primary Prevention, 31(3) : 139-170
- Year: 2010
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Systematic reviews
-
Stage: Universal prevention
, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions (any)