Preventing Depression in the Children of Depressed African American Mothers

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia34 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of the study is to adapt and test the Preventive Intervention Project for urban African American mothers with depression and their children.

Abstract Background: There is limited representation of ethnic minorities in preventive interventions for the generational impact of maternal depression. Methods: The Preventive Intervention Project (PIP) was adapted to be culturally and contextually relevant for urban African American mothers with depression and their children. A pilot clinical trial (PIP vs. lecture) was conducted.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Depression

Interventions

Prevention Intervention ProjectBEHAVIORAL

Eight 1-hour sessions focused on psychoeducation, coping with stress, and cognitive-behavioral strategies. The sessions were tailored as required to meet the clinical and cultural needs of each family; other family members, such as fathers, spouses, and grandparents, were invited to participate in the intervention.

PsychoeducationBEHAVIORAL

Two 1-hour sessions focusing on psychoeducation about depression and its impact on children and the family.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 8 YearsMax age: 14 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Mothers: Inclusion Criteria: * African American * Primary current or past-year diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM-IV) diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, or Depressive Disorder not otherwise specified * Parent or guardian and primary caregiver of a child 8 to 14 years old * Resided at least part time for the past year with the targeted child * May be receiving psychopharmacological treatment, psychosocial services, or both Exclusion Criteria: * Current or lifetime history of schizophrenia * Current or lifetime history of bipolar disorder * Current or past-year diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependency * Serious medical disorder, neurological disorder, condition, or chronic pain that prevents participation * Documented mental retardation * Current suicide risk sufficient to preclude outpatient treatment Children: Inclusion Criteria: * Have an African American mother with a depressive disorder * 8 to 14 years old * Reside at least part time with mother Exclusion Criteria: * Currently in treatment for depression or an anxiety disorder * Presence of a medical or psychiatric condition contraindicating study intervention, such as mental retardation, suicidality, or pervasive developmental disorder

Locations (1)

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Children Depression Inventory (CDI)

Children Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992) is a widely-used self-report scale of depressive symptoms suitable for use by youth ranging from 7 to 17 years. The CDI is a 27-item scale that is self-rated and symptom-oriented. The 27 items on the assessment are grouped into five major factor areas. The item score are rated 0-2 with a total scores summed and converted to T scores. The total T score ranges from 33 to 100 with high scores indicating higher levels of depressive symptoms.

Time frame: Measured at baseline and at post-treatment (8 weeks after baseline)

Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)

Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; March et al., 1997) is a self-report instrument that measures a broad range of anxiety symptoms in youth. The MASC consists of 39 items using a 4-point Likert scale that are distributed across four major factors, three of which can be parsed into two subfactors each. Main and subfactors include (1) physical symptoms (tense/restless and somatic/autonomic), (2) social anxiety (humiliation/rejection and public performance fears), (3) harm avoidance (perfectionism and anxious coping), and (4) separation anxiety. Scores are summed and converted to T-scores. The total T score ranges from 25 to 90 with higher scores representing greater levels of anxiety.

Time frame: Measured at baseline and post-treatment (8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcomes

Understanding Mood Disorders Questionnaire (UMDQ)

Understanding Mood Disorders Questionnaire (UMDQ; Gavazzi, Fristad, \& Law, 1997) measures attributions and knowledge of symptoms, course, and treatment of mood disorders and a symptom checklist. It has 39 items and two subscales. A range of total score is 0 to 59. The first 20 questions are true/false questions and correct responses are scored 2 points each. Nineteen questions are a checklist of symptoms and correct identification of those depression and manic symptoms are scored 1 point each. All items are summed for a total score. Higher scores indicate greater knowledge of mood disorders. Both maternal and child reporters completed this measure.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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