Background: There is need for more effectiveness studies concerning treatment of emotional symptom problems indicating anxiety and depression in adolescents. SMART is the only treatment manual for combined emotional disorders developed in Norwegian. Purpose: To find the best individualized treatment for adolescents with emotional difficulties by: Finding criteria for the selection of appropriate patients for treatment with cognitive-behavior therapy program SMART in an outpatient population (14-18 years). Finding predictors of completion of treatment program SMART. Examining the effects of treatment with the SMART program at 6 months follow-up. Design: A randomized controlled study in six outpatient clinics in the north of Norway. N= 160 referred adolescents (14-18 years) with score above 6 on the Emotional Problems scale of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Two thirds are treated according to the SMART-manual immediately, while the waiting list control group is treated with SMART after six weeks. Hypothesis: The SMART treatment is an effective treatment for emotional symptom problems. Publication: The results sought published internationally and nationally and will be communicated to clinicians.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
163
University Hospital of North Norway
Tromsø, Norway
Status of primary emotional disorder based on theDevelopment and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) interview schedule with parents and youths
Diagnostic interview
Time frame: At recruitment, before treatment start and at 6 months follow up
SDQ Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
Measure of general emotional and behavioral symptoms and strengths
Time frame: At recruitment, before treatment start and at 6 months follow up
Anxiety symptom score on the Multi-Dimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)
Measure of anxiety symptoms
Time frame: At recruitment, before treatment start and at 6 months follow up
Depression symptom status as measured by the self-rating instrument Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)
Measure of depressive symptoms
Time frame: At recruitment, before treatment start and at 6 months follow up
Life functioning as measured by the rating scale C-GAS rated by clinicians
Measure of functioning
Time frame: At recruitment, before treatment start and at 6 months follow up
General outcome measured by Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluations Outcome Measure (CORE-OM)
Measure of symptoms, risk, functioning and total burden of disorder
Time frame: At recruitment, before treatment start and at 6 months follow up. The short version (CORE 10) mid-therapy: 3 weeks after starting treatment
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