Coping With Adolescent Peer Victimization and Reducing Anxious/Depressed Symptoms

Summary

Among adolescents, SAD and depression are prevalent, highly comorbid, and can be chronic and impairing. Interpersonal peer victimization (IPV) is a key stressor that contributes to both social anxiety and depression in adolescents; it includes relational (e.g., social exclusion) and reputational (e.g., spreading rumors) forms of peer victimization. Currently, there are no preventive interventions for adolescent SAD. Also, effective preventive interventions for adolescents have not yet integrated a focus on both social anxiety and depression or targeted specific peer risk factors. Interventions for depression and for bullying have not addressed IPV, which is less observable than overt victimization (e.g., threats, physical acts).

Thus, the Peers Emotions and Relationships (PEERS/UTalk) intervention, will take an integrated approach to reducing risk for SAD and depression by modifying and adapting an evidence-based intervention for depression, Interpersonal Psychotherapy- Adolescents Skills Training (IPT-AST), that focuses on improving interpersonal skills and managing conflict. We will add a) elements of anxiety-based treatments (e.g., exposures) and b) strategies for handling challenging peer experiences. PEERS/UTalk will have a positive focus and will target adolescents who report elevated symptoms of social anxiety and/or depression and high levels of IPV.

Following are the aims and hypotheses of the Pilot-Randomized Controlled Trial:

Aim: Evaluate PEERS/UTalk. We will screen adolescents and conduct a pilot randomized trial of PEERS (U Talk) versus an Education/Support (ES) condition with up to 60 "high-risk" adolescents.

Hypothesis 1: Both PEERS/UTalk and ES conditions will demonstrate: (a) feasibility via rates of participation and study completion, (b) intervention credibility via adolescents' ratings of acceptability and satisfaction, and (c) high rates of clinician fidelity to the respective manuals.

Hypothesis 2: Adolescents randomized to PEERS/UTalk will show improvements in primary outcomes (less IPV, fewer symptoms of social anxiety and depression, improved clinician ratings) relative to those in the ES condition.

Hypothesis 3: The benefits of PEERS/UTalk over ES will be apparent on the secondary outcomes of increased quality of close friendships, increased peer support.

Exploratory Aims: We will examine: (1) the durability and persistence of PEERS/UTalk intervention effects versus ES on primary outcomes at 6-month follow-up and (2) potential moderators of response to the PEERS/UTalk intervention, recognizing that there are power limitations in doing so.

Conditions

• Depression
• Social Anxiety

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

UTalk

Prevention intervention delivered in group format adapted from IPT-AST, for adolescents who experience peer victimization and who are at risk for developing social anxiety and depression.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Columbia University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Miami

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Annette M La Greca, PhD · University of Miami

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-06-30

Primary Completion

2015-05-31

Completion

2015-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations