Pilot Study of a CF-specific CBT Intervention for Adolescents

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Anxiety; Cystic Fibrosis; Depression
• Interventions: Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Registration Number: NCT05271643
• Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to pilot a new CF-specific cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention (CF-CBT-A) for prevention and treatment of depression and anxiety for adolescents with CF. CF-CBT-A is a 10-session program that was developed with input from adolescents with CF and parents and CF care teams to be highly relevant to the unique needs of adolescents with CF. The program will be piloted at 3 U.S. CF centers with 10 to 12 adolescents with cystic fibrosis who have mild to moderately severe symptoms of depression and/or mild to severe symptoms of anxiety. It will be delivered by mental health coordinator members of the participant's CF care team who receive training, with sessions occurring in-person or via telehealth. We will examine feasibility and acceptability of the intervention as indicated by measures of completion, intervention fidelity, and adolescent and parent satisfaction ratings. We will also examine preliminary evidence of effectiveness. If this intervention is successful, symptoms of depression and anxiety and perceived psychological stress will decrease and coping self-efficacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) will improve.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-02-28
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-02-28
• Study Start: 2022-03-02
• Study First Posted: 2022-03-09
• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-03-20
• Last Update Posted: 2024-03-22
• Primary Completion: 2024-04-30
• Study Completion: 2024-04-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 12

Inclusion Criteria

1. Be 12-17 years of age

2. Have a diagnosis of CF

3. 3. Have depression symptom scores on the PHQ-A in the mild to moderately severe range (> 4 and ≤ 19), but not in the severe range, and/or anxiety scores on the GAD-7 from mild to severe range (5 to 21).

4. Be able to speak and read English

5. Be willing and able to provide assent

6. Have a parent who is willing and able to provide informed consent for their own and adolescent participation

7. Have a parent who is able to speak and read English; the parent will participate in the study in support of their adolescent during the intervention and complete pre- and post- assessments.

8. Subjects will not be excluded for the following reasons:

   1. CF severity or lung/liver transplant status, if they are otherwise able to participate in CBT. If subjects are medically hospitalized during the course of the study, they may continue to participate in the CBT intervention or follow up visits during or following hospitalization as clinically appropriate.
   2. A history of more severe depression currently at mild to moderate levels with or without treatment.
   3. Participation in concomitant psychosocial treatments (with the exception of formal CBT) or psychopharmacologic treatments at baseline, although these concomitant treatments will be tracked and considered in analysis.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Any subjects who are deemed to present an acute safety risk to self or others will be excluded. Subjects reporting a positive answer on question 9 on the PHQ-9, dealing with suicidality, will be further assessed for severity and clinical context, including administration of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS, Screen Version, Recent; Posner, 2011). Those reporting suicidal intent with or without specific plan (yes to question 4 and/or 5 on the C-SSRS) will be excluded from the study. These individuals will be referred for urgent/emergent further assessment and treatment as clinically indicated.

2. Participation in concomitant formal cognitive-behavioral therapy at baseline

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
CF-CBT-A intervention	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)	Participants will meet with a therapist, a mental health provider on their cystic fibrosis care team who has received training in CF-CBT-A, for a baseline interview and introduction plus 9 weekly sessions of CF-CBT-A.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Feasibility of the intervention will be indicated by Rate of completion of the CF-CBT-A program sessions once enrolled	From baseline to post-intervention (2-3 months)	Rate of complete will be summarized by calculating the percentage of CF-CBT-A sessions completed by participants over the course of the study period.
Treatment acceptability as measured by item and total score summation on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) with additional study-specific items	immediately post-intervention	TThe Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) is an 8-item self-report measure that assesses patient service satisfaction,rated on a 4-point scale from 1=lowest to 4=highest satisfaction. Post-intervention treatment satisfaction will also be assessed with a series of structured and open-ended questions specific to the study intervention. Completed by parent and adolescent. Assessed one time immediately post-intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Health-Related Quality of Life, measured by the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R)	From baseline to post-intervention (2-3 months)	The CFQ-R is a well-established measure of HRQoL, validated in a national, multicenter longitudinal study, and demonstrating consistent associations with health outcomes. A parent proxy version will be administered for adolescent participants ages 12 and 13.
Change in Perceived Stress, measured by the PROMIS Pediatric and Parent Proxy Psychological Stress Experiences 8-item short forms	From baseline to post-intervention (2-3 months)	This measure assesses psychological stress reactions (e.g., feeling overwhelmed, perceived lack of control of capacity to manage one's life).5Adolescents will self-report and parents will complete the proxy report about their child, providing another perspective on adolescent adjustment. Both scales use a 7-day recall period and include 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert Scale from "Never" to "Always," (e.g., In the past 7 days, I felt stressed).
Change from baseline in Depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) - adolescent version	From baseline to post-intervention (2-3 months)	The PHQ-9 consists of nine questions measuring frequency of depressive symptoms, rated on a Likert scale from 0 "not at all" to 3 "nearly every day," with total score ranging 0-27. Clinical severity scores have been established with scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 representing cut-off scores for mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively.
Change from baseline in Anxiety symptoms measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item scale (GAD-7)	From baseline to post-intervention (2-3 months)	The GAD-7 is a 7-item measure of symptoms of anxiety. Likert scale ratings allow total scores of 0-21. Scores of 5, 10, and 15 correspond to severity ratings of mild, moderate and severe anxiety.
Change in Coping Self-Efficacy, measured by the CF Coping Self-Efficacy Scale - adolescent version	From baseline to post-intervention (2-3 months)	A self-report measure of confidence in being able to cope with the daily challenges associated with CF developed with input of people with CF. Confidence in being able to use coping skills targeted by the intervention, including those specific to coping with CF, are rated on a 10-point scale from 'very sure' to 'very unsure'.

Trial Locations

Locations (3)

University at Buffalo; 🇺🇸 New York, New York, United States

Massachusetts General Hospital; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States

University of Kansas Medical Center; 🇺🇸 Kansas City, Kansas, United States