Abstract
This study tested the plausibility of a theoretical model of change for the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP), a cognitive-behavioral (CB) depression prevention program for adolescents. Middle school students (N = 697) were randomized to PRP, an assessment-only control condition (CON), or a placebo-control condition (PLA). Explanatory style and depressive symptoms were evaluated over 24 months of follow-up. Relative to both CON and PLA, there were significant indirect effects of PRP on 12-month levels of depressive symptoms through improvements in explanatory style in two of three participating schools. Within a third school, where PRP was not effective in targeting depressive symptoms (Gillham et al. in J Consult Clin Psychol 75(1):9–19, 2007), there was no evidence of group differences in growth in explanatory style or indirect effects. When effective, PRP’s CB training provides incremental value over non-specific components and there are indirect effects on depressive symptoms through improvements in explanatory style.
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Notes
This conclusion is predicated on the assumption that the placebo intervention is effective in reproducing all of the non-specific processes present in the primary intervention.
References
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Acknowledgements
This research was funded by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Grant MH52270. Steven M. Brunwasser was supported in part from an NIMH Training Grant (T32-MH18921) and by an award from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (5 K12 HS 022990-02) during completion of this work. We are grateful to the children and parents who participated in the project and to the teachers and counselors who led intervention groups. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge Martin Seligman and Karen Reivich for their essential contributions to this project.
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Steven M. Brunwasser, Jane E. Gillham, and Derek R. Freres declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Brunwasser, S.M., Freres, D.R. & Gillham, J.E. Youth Cognitive-Behavioral Depression Prevention: Testing Theory in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Cogn Ther Res 42, 468–482 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-018-9897-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-018-9897-6