Optimizing generalized anxiety disorder screening in young adults perinatally affected by HIV: A psychometric analysis.

Background: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is prevalent among people with HIV and is associated with adverse health outcomes. This study investigates the suitability of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 item (GAD-7) screening tool and its 2-item (GAD-2) version for use in young adults with perinatally-acquired HIV (YAPHIV) and young adults perinatally exposed to HIV but uninfected (YAPHEU).

Methods: Data come from the 7th follow-up interview (FU7) from a longitudinal study of youth with PHIV and PHEU, first recruited when 9-16 years.

Effect of Problem Area on Outcomes Among Adolescents Treated With Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression.

Objective: Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) aims to treat depression by addressing one of four problem areas: grief, role disputes, role transitions, or interpersonal deficits. This study compared the characteristics of adolescents by problem area and evaluated the impact of problem area on outcomes.

Methods: Forty adolescents (ages 12-17) participated in a randomized trial of adaptive treatment strategies that included IPT-A.

Screening for depression with the PHQ-9 in young adults affected by HIV.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common among young adults with perinatally acquired HIV (YAPHIV), however it is often underdiagnosed and untreated. The PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 are widely used screening instruments for MDD. This study evaluates the accuracy of recommended PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 cut-scores of 10 and 3 for YAPHIV and YA who were perinatally HIV exposed but uninfected (YAPHEU).

Student, teacher, and caregiver perceptions on implementing mental health interventions in Ugandan schools.

Background: The vast majority of children and adolescents in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack access to interventions for mental health problems. Schools provide a critical platform for evidence-based intervention delivery for young people. However, a significant need exists to understand the implementation context and strategies for delivering school mental health interventions in LMICs.

Change in dysfunctional attitudes and attachment in interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents.

This study examined changes in depressed adolescents' reports of dysfunctional attitudes while receiving interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A) and the relationship between the change in dysfunctional attitudes and change in attachment anxiety and avoidance with IPT-A. Forty adolescents (age 12-17) participated in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of 4 adaptive treatment strategies that began with IPT-A and augmented treatment for insufficient responders by adding additional IPT-A sessions or the antidepressant medication, fluoxetine. Measures of attachment anxiety and avoidance (Experience in Close Relationships Scale-Revised [ECR-R]), dysfunctional attitudes (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale [DAS]), and depression (Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised [CDRS-R]) were administered at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16.

The Depression Prevention Initiative: Mediators of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training.

Several adolescent depression prevention programs have demonstrated effects on depressive symptoms and overall functioning. Yet, despite an increasing emphasis on elucidating mechanisms of change in interventions, few studies have identified mediators of these preventive interventions. In this study, we examined interpersonal mediators of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), an evidence-based depression prevention program.

Transition Cliffs for Young Adults with Anxiety and Depression: Is Integrated Mental Health Care a Solution?

Young adulthood is a major transition period, particularly challenging for those with mental disorders. Though the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders is especially high, young adults are less likely to receive mental health treatment than younger and older individuals. Reasons for this mental health treatment gap are multifold and range from individual- to system-level factors that must be taken into consideration when addressing young adult mental health needs.

Latent Profiles of Cognitive and Interpersonal Risk Factors for Adolescent Depression and Implications for Personalized Treatment.

A personalized approach to treatment with patients being matched to the best-fit treatment has been proposed as one possible solution to the currently modest treatment response rates for adolescent depression. Personalized treatment involves identifying and characterizing subgroups likely to respond differently to different treatments. We investigated the feasibility of this approach, by focusing on two key risk factors that are the purported treatment targets of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A): negative unrealistic cognitions and interpersonal relationship difficulties, respectively.

Critical Decision Points for Augmenting Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents: A Pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial.

Objective: Practice parameters recommend systematic assessment of depression symptoms over the course of treatment to inform treatment planning; however, there are currently no guidelines regarding how to use symptom monitoring to guide treatment decisions for psychotherapy. The current study compared two time points (week 4 and week 8) for assessing symptoms during interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A) and explored four algorithms that use the symptom assessments to select the subsequent treatment.

Method: Forty adolescents (aged 12-17 years) with a depression diagnosis began IPT-A with an initial treatment plan of 12 sessions delivered over 16 weeks.

Long-Term Effects from a School-Based Trial Comparing Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training to Group Counseling.

Adolescence represents a vulnerable developmental period for depression and an opportune time for prevention efforts. In this study, 186 adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms (M age = 14.01, SD = 1.

Interpersonal psychotherapy for mood and behavior dysregulation: Pilot randomized trial.

Background: Youth with chronic irritability and excessive reactivity, diagnosed as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), have social impairment in multiple settings (i.e., peers, school, and home).

Stepped Care Interpersonal Psychotherapy Treatment for Depressed Adolescents: A Pilot Study in Pediatric Clinics.

Adolescents with depression are at risk for negative long-term consequences and recurrence of depression. Many do not receive nor access treatment, especially Latino youth. New treatment approaches are needed.

Innovations in Practice: The relationship betweensleep disturbances, depression, and interpersonal functioning in treatment for adolescent depression.

Background: Sleep disturbance is frequently comorbid with depression and sleep complaints are the most common residual symptoms after treatment among adolescents with depression. The present analyses investigated the effect of sleep disturbance in depressed adolescents treated with Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) versus Treatment as Usual (TAU) in school-based mental health clinics.

Method: 63 adolescents participated in a randomized clinical trial of IPT-A versus TAU for adolescent depression.

The role of attachment style in interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents.

Objective(s): This study examined changes in depressed adolescents' reports of attachment anxiety and avoidance with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A), and the relationship between attachment style and change in depression with IPT-A.

Method: Forty adolescents (aged 12-17) participated in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of 4 adaptive treatment strategies for adolescent depression that began with IPT-A and augmented treatment for insufficient responders (n = 22) by adding additional IPT-A sessions (n = 11) or the antidepressant medication, fluoxetine (n = 11). Adolescents were 77.

Preventing Adolescent Social Anxiety and Depression and Reducing Peer Victimization: Intervention Development and Open Trial.

Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) and depression are common among adolescents, frequently comorbid, and resistant to change. Prevention programs for adolescent SAD are scant, and depression prevention programs do not fully address peer-risk factors. One critical peer-risk factor for SAD and depression is peer victimization.

Can school counselors deliver cognitive-behavioral treatment for social anxiety effectively? A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) typically onsets in adolescence and is associated with multiple impairments. Despite promising clinical interventions, most socially anxious adolescents remain untreated. To address this clinical neglect, we developed a school-based, 12-week group intervention for youth with SAD, Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS).

Innovations in Practice: a pilot study of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents and their parents.

Background: Problems in adolescents' relationships with their parents are a significant risk factor for the development and maintenance of depression. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A) who were also experiencing problems in their relationships with parents. The adaptation includes greater and more structured parent involvement in the treatment (IPT-AP).

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents With Mood and Behavior Dysregulation: Evidence-Based Case Study.

Interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents, an evidence-based psychotherapy, has been adapted for youth with chronic irritability and excessive reactivity (i.e., temper outbursts), to create Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Mood and Behavior Dysregulation (IPT-MBD).

A Randomized Depression Prevention Trial Comparing Interpersonal Psychotherapy--Adolescent Skills Training to Group Counseling in Schools.

Given the rise in depression disorders in adolescence, it is important to develop and study depression prevention programs for this age group. The current study examined the efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), a group prevention program for adolescent depression, in comparison to group programs that are typically delivered in school settings. In this indicated prevention trial, 186 adolescents with elevated depression symptoms were randomized to receive IPT-AST delivered by research staff or group counseling (GC) delivered by school counselors.