Feasibility Study of Behavioural Activation in Young People

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Feasibility study using a Behavioural Activation programme (Be Active manual) for Young People with depressed mood attending CAMHS out-patients

• IRAS ID

  257613

• Contact name

  Reagan Blyth

• Contact email

  reagan.blyth@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Pennine Care Foundation Trust, Healthy Young Minds

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  Adolescent depression is common, often continues into adulthood and has a significant impact on schooling, relationships, and physical health. Adolescents with a depressive illness are at a high risk of suicide attempts as well as completed suicide.
  Cost-effective first-line psychological treatments, which can be disseminated easily are needed for this patient group. Behavioural activation (BA) is another brief therapy that shows promise for young people with depressive symptoms and illness, though has not been tested in large randomised controlled trials.

  We have started developing a BA programme, and have developed a manual with professionals and young people. This was tested with 15 young people who found the manual acceptable. It was also feasible to run a BA programme in a generic CAMHS, though recruitment was affected by service pressures.

  We want to run a feasibility study to further develop the manual and assess effect size, and recruitment numbers, so that we can plan a pilot and full scale RCT in the future.

  We propose to train non-specialist CAMHS professionals to offer the manual to young people and their parents. This is a feasibility study, and the data will then be used to develop a pilot and then full multisite RCT proposal.

  Objective one: To assess feasibility of the BA programme / study protocol
  a) Assess the number of eligible young people;
  b) Assess numbers who consent to take part and then withdraw
  c) Assess follow-up and attrition rates
  e) Assess whether outcome data can be reliably and feasibly collected
  f) Assess estimates for a sample size calculation

  Objective two: To assess feasibility and acceptability of implementing the BA programme
  a) Assess the numbers of young people agreeing the BA intervention and the number who complete
  b) Obtain feedback from young people receiving BA intervention and health professionals offering it using a questionnaire
  c) Interview young people to determine the acceptability the BA intervention
  d) Interview health professionals, to gain perspectives on facilitators and barriers to using the BA programme.
  e) Assess adherence to the BA manual by developing adherence schedule and using this to review BA sessions

• REC name

  North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  19/NW/0042

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Feb 2019

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion