Transdiagnostic REBT Prevention Program for Adolescents

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Specific Phobia; Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Panic Disorder; Social Anxiety; Major Depression Mild
• Interventions: Behavioral: video-based transdiagnostic REBT; Behavioral: Wait list

• Registration Number: NCT02756507
• Lead Sponsor: Babes-Bolyai University

Brief Summary

Anxiety and depressive disorders are common in adolescents, however they are often unrecognized. Rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficient for children and adolescents. School settings are appropriate environments to deliver such interventions for vulnerable youths. Given youth's access and predilection to use technology, a video-based prevention program was developed. The present study aims to investigate the efficacy of a transdiagnostic REBT prevention program for internalizing symptoms in adolescents, implemented in a school setting.

Classes from different Romanian public schools will be randomized in either intervention or wait list group.

Detailed Description

The prevention program will be group-based, delivered in 6 sessions, over 3 weeks.

Each of the six modules aimed a different component: Psychoeducation, Relaxation, Relationship between cognitive distortions/irrational beliefs and emotions, Cognitive restructuring, Exposure/ behavioral activation and problem solving, Maintenance of gainings. Despite specific activities, for each session a video cartoon on that subject will be viewed and discussed. Homework would be given at every session.

REBT prevention programs delivered in school settings represent ecological modalities to target vulnerable groups. Technology components added to traditional programs may lead to greater motivation and satisfaction with treatment.

Adolescents will complete assessments at four time-points: T1 (baseline), T2 (post-intervention), T3 (3 months follow-up) and T4 (12 months follow-up).

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2016-04-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-04-27
• Study First Posted: 2016-04-29
• Study Start: 2016-06
• Primary Completion: 2018-06
• Study Completion: 2018-06
• Status Verified: 2023-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-02-07
• Last Update Posted: 2023-02-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 381

Inclusion Criteria

1. Preadolescents and adolescents will have ages between 12 and 17 years old;
2. Are attending middle school or high-school;
3. Adolescents have sufficient understanding of the Romanian language in order to complete assessments at all time points and to participate in the prevention program;
4. Their parents have sufficient understanding of the Romanian language in order to sign the informed consent;
5. Parents will sign the informed consent and adolescents will provide informed assent.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Age below 14 or above 17 years;
2. No signed informed consent from parents;
3. Adolescents will score high on suicidal ideation according to (1 item on the Depression subscale from Beck Youth Inventories);
4. Not Romanian-speaking in order to understand the content of the prevention program and to complete the assessments.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
video-based transdiagnostic REBT	video-based transdiagnostic REBT	Children and adolescents in the experimental group attend 6 modules of video-based transdiagnostic rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT). Each of the six modules aimes a different component: Psychoeducation, Relaxation, Relationship between cognitive distortions/irrational beliefs and emotions, Cognitive restructuring, Exposure/ behavior activation and problem solving, Maintenance of gaining.
wait list	Wait list	The wait-list is a delayed treatment condition.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Beck Depression Inventory for Youth subscale from the Beck Youth Inventories-Second edition for children and adolescents (Beck, 2005)	Change from baseline depressive symptoms at 3 weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow up, 12 months follow-up	depressive symptoms
The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; March, Parker, Sullivan, Stallings, & Conners, 1997)	Change from baseline anxiety symptoms at 3 weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow up, 12 months follow-up	anxiety symptoms

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents, The Revised Version - adolescent version (Kiddo-KINDL) (Ravens-Sieberer et al., 2001)	Change from baseline quality of life at 3 weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow up, 12 months follow-up	quality of life
The Client Satisfaction Scale (Vigerland et al., 2016)	post-intervention	Satisfaction with the intervention
The Credibility/ Expectancy Questionnaire (Devilly & Borkovec, 2000)	pre-intervention	Treatment expectancies
The Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale - Negative/Positive (CATS-N/P) (Hogendoorn et al., 2010)	Change from baseline maladaptive cognitions at 3 weeks post-intervention, 3 month follow up, 12 months follow-up	maladaptive cognitions
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Goodman, 1997)	Change from baseline comorbid problems at 3 weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow up, 12 months follow-up	comorbid problems

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Babes-Bolyai University; 🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca, Romania