Measuring and Enhancing Creativity and Brain Flexibility in Adolescents With Depression

University of Minnesota160 enrolled

Overview

This research is designed to find out if engaging in creative activities will help adolescents with depression have more flexible thinking, start to see and appreciate their own talents, and develop a more positive view of themselves and their future.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

160

Conditions

Depression Symptoms

Interventions

Creativity CampOTHER

An 8-day creativity camp that includes a variety of different kinds of creative arts activities.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 12 YearsMax age: 17 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * age 12-17 years * Phase 1: no clinical diagnosis required. * Phase 2: presence of at least "mild" depression symptoms as measured by a score of at least 12 on the parent-report Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) (completed in the screening form). * Phase 2, Summer 2025 East African cohort: The adolescent identifies as East African. * Phase 2, Summer 2025 Native American cohort: The adolescent identifies as Native American. Exclusion Criteria: * any MRI contraindications (e.g., claustrophobia, braces, pregnancy); Note: MRI exclusion is removed for Summer 2023 and 2025 cohorts since the neuroimaging has been removed from the protocol for those cohorts * neurodevelopmental disorder such as intellectual disability or moderate / severe autism, as indicated by parent report; * significant medical conditions that would interfere with participating in study activities; * currently active suicidal ideation, and unable to agree to an appropriate safety plan * history of significant neurological conditions that might confound MRI analyses (e.g., current and severe epilepsy, brain tumor). Note: this exclusion is removed for Summer 2023 and 2025 cohorts since they will not have MRI.

Locations (1)

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Child Depression Inventory 2 (CDI-2).

The CDI (2) is a self-report questionnaire completed by child and parent separately. The Child CDI 2 is a 28-item measure of depression symptoms for youth ages 7-17. For each item, participants selected one of three choices that describe the severity of their symptoms over the past 2 weeks. Responses are: 0 (no symptoms), 1 (mild or probable symptoms), or 2 (definite symptoms). The 17-item Parent CDI 2, has four choices per item, ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (much or most of the time). For both child and parent reports, higher scores mean more severe depression.

Time frame: Week 2

Secondary Outcomes

The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED)

The SCARED is a 41-item inventory of anxiety symptoms rated on a 3-point Likert-type scale. Higher scores mean higher severity of anxiety.

Time frame: Month 3

The Zest for Life Scale (ZLS)

This 12-item questionnaire assesses engagement, enthusiasm, and positive outlook on life in the last week. Each of the 12 items is rated on a 9-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 8 (very strongly). The minimum possible score is 0, and the maximum is 96. Higher scores on the scale indicate a greater zest for life.

Time frame: Week 1

The Flourishing Scale

In this 8-item questionnaire, participants rate on a 1-7 scale their agreement with statements regarding perceptions of their life's meaning and purpose, view of self and how they fit into the world. Maximum score is 56. Higher scores mean higher levels of well-being.

Time frame: Week 2

The Satisfaction with Life Scale

The Satisfaction with Life Scale assesses overall life satisfaction, with 5 questions on a 1-7 scale. Maximum score is 35. Higher scores mean higher life satisfaction.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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