The effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy on mood-related ruminative response style in depressed adolescents
2008

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Reduces Rumination in Depressed Adolescents

Sample size: 26 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Paul O Wilkinson, Ian M Goodyer

Primary Institution: University of Cambridge

Hypothesis

Adding CBT to SSRI plus psychosocial treatment as usual would cause greater reduction in rumination.

Conclusion

Adding CBT to SSRI medication in the presence of active clinical care causes a greater reduction in mood-related ruminative response style in depressed adolescents.

Supporting Evidence

  • CBT group showed significantly greater reductions in rumination compared to the non-CBT group.
  • Rumination levels in the CBT group were reduced to levels similar to never-depressed controls.
  • CBT was particularly effective in reducing the 'brooding' factor of rumination.

Takeaway

This study found that teaching kids with depression to think differently can help them stop worrying so much about their problems.

Methodology

26 depressed adolescents were randomized to receive either SSRI plus treatment as usual or SSRI plus treatment as usual plus CBT, with assessments at baseline and after 30 weeks.

Potential Biases

Participants and assessors were not blinded to treatment group, which may have introduced bias.

Limitations

The study had a small sample size, which limits the power and generalizability of the findings.

Participant Demographics

Participants were adolescents aged 11-17 with current DSM-IV major depressive disorder.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.002

Statistical Significance

p = .002

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1753-2000-2-3

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