Depression in Children & Adolescents: Psychotherapy vs. Control

Pim Cuijpers

, Clara Miguel

, Mathias Harrer

, Constantin Yves Plessen

, Marketa Ciharova

, Eirini Karyotaki

General Description

The depression-childadol-psyctr dataset is a meta-analytic research domain (MARD) which is part of the Metapsy project. The dataset contains study information and effect size data of randomized trials on psychological interventions for treating depression in children and adolescents.

This dataset includes psychological interventions vs. control (psy vs ctr) comparisons. It includes one type of effect size calculation per study, giving priority to means and standard deviations at post-test.

The dataset follows the Metapsy data standard. Risk of bias ratings were conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool (Version 1).

Affiliated Institutions

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Online Meta-Analysis Tool

A simplified version of this database can be analyzed at metapsy.org/database/depression-childadol.

Metadata

metapsyData Shorthand: depression-childadol-psyctr
Number of Studies: 57
Latest Version: 23.0.2
Last updated: June 30, 2023
Last search: September 1, 2022
Search String (Latest Version): ↗
Data Repository (Latest Version): ↗
Preregistration (Research Domain): ↗
License: ODC-By v1.0 ↗
Database DOI:

Version 23.0.2 (June 29, 2023):
Version 23.0.1 (June 29, 2023):

Variable Description

Variable	Description
`study`	Author and year of publication
`condition_arm1`	Type of treatment (cbt= cognitive behaviour therapy, bat= behavioural activation, pst= problem solving therapy, ipt= interpersonal psychotherapy, other psy= other type of psychotherapy)
`condition_arm2`	Type of comparator (cau= care as usual, wl= waitlist, pha= pharmacological treatment, other ctr= other type of inactive control grou, sup= supportive counseling, other psy= other type of psychotherapy )
`multi_arm1`	In multiarm trials, this variable provides a specification of the type of treatment used in the first arm. This variable is set to NA (missing) when the study was not a multiarm trial. For example, if a multiarm trial employed two types of CBT interventions, face-to-face and Internet-based, this variable would be set to f2f and Internet, respectively.
`multi_arm2`	In multiarm trials, this variable provides a specification of the type of treatment used in the second arm. This variable is set to NA (missing) when the study was not a multiarm trial. For example, if a multiarm trial employed two types of control groups, waitlist and placebo, this variable would be set to wl and plac, respectively. Typically, multiarm trials employ two or more active treatments (e.g. CBT and problem-solving therapy), which are compared to the same control group (e.g. a waitlist). This means that values in multi_arm2 do not differ (e.g. they are always wl for this specific multiarm trial); nevertheless, the variable should be specified in the dataset.
`descr_arm1`	Further description of arm 1.
`descr_arm2`	Further description of arm 2.
`.g`	metapsyTools generated variable: Calculated effect size (Hedges' g).
`.g_se`	metapsyTools generated variable: Standard error of Hedges' g.
`outcome_type`	This variable encodes the type of outcome that builds the basis of the comparison, e.g. means and standard deviations (msd), change from baseline, response, remission, other statistics, etc.
`instrument`	This variable describes the instrument through which the relevant outcome was measured.
`rating`	This variable encodes if the measured outcome was self-reported ("self-report"), clinician-rated ("clinician"), or parent-reported ("parent_report").
`mean_arm1`	Mean arm 1
`mean_arm2`	Mean arm 2
`sd_arm1`	Standard deviation arm 1
`sd_arm2`	Standard deviation arm 2
`n_arm1`	Number of participants arm 1
`n_arm2`	Number of participants arm 2
`mean_change_arm1`	Mean change from baseline arm 1
`mean_change_arm2`	Mean change from baseline arm 2
`sd_change_arm1`	Standard deviation for the change from baseline arm 1
`sd_change_arm2`	Standard deviation for the change from baseline arm 2
`n_change_arm1`	Number of participants arm 1 (change scores)
`n_change_arm2`	Number of participants arm 2 (change scores)
`event_arm1`	Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm
`event_arm2`	Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the second trial arm
`totaln_arm1`	Total number of participants arm 1 (event data)
`totaln_arm2`	Total number of participants arm 2 (event data)
`precalc_g`	The pre-calculated value of Hedges' g (small-sample bias corrected standardized mean difference; Hedges, 1981).
`precalc_g_se`	Standard error of g
`precalc_log_rr`	The pre-calculated value of the log-risk ratio logeRR, comparing events in the first arm to events in the second arm.
`precalc_log_rr_se`	The standard error of the log-risk ratio logeRR, comparing events in the first arm to events in the second arm.
`baseline_m_arm1`	Baseline mean arm 1
`baseline_sd_arm1`	Baseline standard deviation arm 1
`baseline_n_arm1`	Number of participants at baseline arm 1
`baseline_m_arm2`	Baseline mean arm 2
`baseline_sd_arm2`	Baseline standard deviation arm 2
`baseline_n_arm2`	Number of participants at baseline arm 2
`dich`	Exact definition of the dichotomous outcome as provided in the publication: e.g."remission based on bdi-II<=8 and ham-d<=7"
`dich_type`	Broader categories of dichotomous outcomes: remission, response, etc.
`time`	The measurement point at which the outcome was obtained (e.g. post or follow-up).
`time_weeks`	The measurement point at which the outcome was obtained, in weeks after randomization (set to NA if this information was not available).
`year`	Year of publication
`comorbid_mental`	All the participants are recruited based on meeting criteria for a comorbid mental health disorder (e.g. anxiety and depression). Coded as y= yes, n= no
`format`	ind= individual; grp= group; gsh= guided self-help; tel= telephone; cpl= couple therapy; oth= other (mixed formats); ush= unguided self-help
`format_details`	It includes more details about the format, when necessary
`n_sessions_arm1`	Average number of sessions received
`country`	us= USA; uk= United Kingdom; eu= Europe; can= Canada; au= australia; eas= east asia; oth= other
`age_group`	adol= adolescents, child= children
`mean_age`	Average age
`percent_women`	% of women at baseline
`recruitment`	com= community; clin= clinical; oth= other
`diagnosis`	mdd= major depression; mood= mood disorder; cut= cut-off score; sub= subclinical depression; chr= chronic or treatment-resistant depression
`target_group`	child= children; adol= adolescents; med= comorbid medical disorder; oth= other specific target group
`ac`	Allocation concealment (0= high risk; 1= low risk)
`sg`	Sequence generation (0= high risk; 1= low risk)
`ba`	Blinding of assessors (0= high risk; 1= low risk; sr= self-report)
`itt`	Intention-to-treat analyses (0= high risk; 1= low risk)
`rob`	Overall risk of bias score. ranging from 0 (high risk) to 4 (low risk)
`full_ref`	Full reference of the study.
`.id`	metapsyTools generated variable: Unique identifier for a trial arm comparison/row.
`.log_rr`	metapsyTools generated variable: Calculated effect size (logeRR).
`.log_rr_se`	metapsyTools generated variable: Standard error of logeRR.
`.event_arm1`	metapsyTools generated variable: Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm.
`.event_arm2`	metapsyTools generated variable: Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the second trial arm.
`.totaln_arm1`	metapsyTools generated variable: Total sample size in the first trial arm.
`.totaln_arm2`	metapsyTools generated variable: Total sample size in the second trial arm.

Study References

Ackerson, 1998: Ackerson, J., Scogin, F., McKendree-Smith, N., & Lyman, R. D. (1998). Cognitive bibliotherapy for mild and moderate adolescent depressive symptomatology. J Consult Clin Psychol, 66(4), 685-690.
Arnarson, 2009: Arnarson, E. Ö., & Craighead, W. E. (2009). Prevention of depression among Icelandic adolescents. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(7), 577-585.
Asarnow, 2002: Asarnow, J. R., Scott, C. V., & Mintz, J. (2002). A combined cognitive–behavioral family education intervention for depression in children: A treatment development study. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 26(2), 221-229.
Bolton, 2007: Bolton, P., Bass, J., Betancourt, T., Speelman, L., Onyango, G., Clougherty, K. F., . . . Verdeli, H. (2007). Interventions for depression symptoms among adolescent survivors of war and displacement in northern Uganda: a randomized controlled trial [Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't]. Jama, 298(5), 519-527. doi:10.1001/jama.298.5.519. (Accession No. CN-00590482)
Charkhandeh, 2016: Charkhandeh, M., Talib, M. A., & Hunt, C. J. (2016). The clinical effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and an alternative medicine approach in reducing symptoms of depression in adolescents. Psychiatry research, 239, 325-330.
Clarke, 1995: Clarke, G. N., Hawkins, W., Murphy, M., Sheeber, L. B., Lewinsohn, P. M., & Seeley, J. R. (1995). Targeted prevention of unipolar depressive disorder in an at-risk sample of high school adolescents: A randomized trial of a group cognitive intervention. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34(3), 312-321.
Clarke, 1999: Clarke, G. N., Rohde, P., Lewinsohn, P. M., Hops, H., & Seeley, J. R. (1999). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of adolescent depression: efficacy of acute group treatment and booster sessions. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(3), 272-279.
Clarke, 2001: Clarke, G. N., Hornbrook, M., Lynch, F., Polen, M., Gale, J., Beardslee, W., . . . Seeley, J. (2001). A randomized trial of a group cognitive intervention for preventing depression in adolescent offspring of depressed parents. Archives of general psychiatry, 58(12), 1127-1134.
Clarke, 2002: Clarke, G. N., Hornbrook, M., Lynch, F., Polen, M., Gale, J., O’CONNOR, E., . . . Debar, L. (2002). Group cognitive-behavioral treatment for depressed adolescent offspring of depressed parents in a health maintenance organization. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(3), 305-313.
Curry, 2021: Curry, J. F., Kaminer, Y., Goldston, D. B., Chan, G., Wells, K. C., Burke, R. H., ... & Cheek, S. M. (2022). Adaptive treatment for youth with substance use and depression: early depression response and short-term outcomes. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(4), 508-519.
De Cuyper, 2004: De Cuyper, S., Timbremont, B., Braet, C., De Backer, V., & Wullaert, T. (2004). Treating depressive symptoms in schoolchildren. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 13(2), 105-114.
De Jonge-Heesen, 2020: De Jonge-Heesen KWJ, Rasing SPA, Vermulst AA, et al. Randomized control trial testing the effectiveness of implemented depression prevention in high-risk adolescents. BMC Medicine. 2020;18(1).
Diamond, 2002: Diamond, G. S., Reis, B. F., Diamond, G. M., Siqueland, L., & Isaacs, L. (2002). Attachment-based family therapy for depressed adolescents: A treatment development study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(10), 1190-1196.
Do, 2021: Do, R., et al. (2021). "Effectiveness and dissemination of computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy for depressed adolescents: Effective and accessible to whom?" J Affect Disord 282: 885-893.
Esposito‐Smythers, 2019: Esposito‐Smythers, C., Wolff, J. C., Liu, R. T., Hunt, J. I., Adams, L., Kim, K., . . . Spirito, A. (2019). Family‐focused cognitive behavioral treatment for depressed adolescents in suicidal crisis with co‐occurring risk factors: A randomized trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(10), 1133-1141. doi:10.1111/jcpp.13095
Fristad, 2019: Fristad, M. A., Vesco, A. T., Young, A. S., Healy, K. Z., Nader, E. S., Gardner, W., . . . Arnold, L. E. (2019). Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Omega-3 and Individual-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents With Depression. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 48, S105‐S118. doi:10.1080/15374416.2016.1233500
Gillham, 2006: Gillham, J. E., Hamilton, J., Freres, D. R., Patton, K., & Gallop, R. (2006). Preventing depression among early adolescents in the primary care setting: A randomized controlled study of the Penn Resiliency Program. J Abnorm Child Psychol, 34(2), 195-211.
Idsoe, 2019: Idsoe, T., Keles, S., Olseth, A. R., & Ogden, T. (2019). Cognitive behavioral treatment for depressed adolescents: Results from a cluster randomized controlled trial of a group course. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1). doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2134-3
Israel, 2013: Israel, P., & Diamond, G. S. (2013). Feasibility of attachment based family therapy for depressed clinic-referred Norwegian adolescents. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 18(3), 334-350.
Kahn, 1990: Kahn, J. S., Kehle, T. J., Jenson, W. R., & Clark, E. (1990). Comparison of cognitive-behavioral, relaxation, and self-modeling interventions for depression among middle-school students. School Psychology Review, 19(2), 196-211.
Kitchen, 2021: Kitchen, C. E. W., et al. (2021). "Innovations in Practice: A randomised controlled feasibility trial of Behavioural Activation as a treatment for young people with depression." Child Adolesc Ment Health 26(3): 290-295.
Lewinsohn, 1990: Lewinsohn, P. M., Clarke, G. N., Hops, H., & Andrews, J. (1990). Cognitive-behavioral treatment for depressed adolescents. Behavior Therapy, 21(4), 385-401.
Liddle, 1990: Liddle, B., & Spence, S. H. (1990). Cognitive—Behaviour Therapy with Depressed Primary School Children: A Cautionary Note. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 18(2), 85-102.
Listug-Lunde, 2013: Listug-Lunde, L., Vogeltanz-Holm, N., & Collins, J. (2013). A cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression in rural American Indian middle school students. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research: The Journal of the National Center, 20(1), 16-34.
Luby, 2012: Luby, J., Lenze, S., & Tillman, R. (2012). A novel early intervention for preschool depression: Findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(3), 313-322.
Makover, 2019: Makover, H., Adrian, M., Wilks, C., Read, K., Stoep, A. V., & McCauley, E. (2019). Indicated prevention for depression at the transition to high school: Outcomes for depression and anxiety. Prevention Science, 20, 499-509.
March, 2004: March, J., Silva, S., Petrycki, S., Curry, J., Wells, K., Fairbank, J., . . . Vitiello, B. (2004). Fluoxetine, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and their combination for adolescents with depression: Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS) randomized controlled trial. Jama, 292(7), 807-820.
Martinović, 2006: Martinović, Ž., Simonović, P., & Djokić, R. (2006). Preventing depression in adolescents with epilepsy. Epilepsy & behavior, 9(4), 619-624.
Moeini, 2019: Moeini, B., Bashirian, S., Soltanian, A. R., Ghaleiha, A., & Taheri, M. (2019). Examining the effectiveness of a web-based intervention for depressive symptoms in female adolescents: applying social cognitive theory. Journal of research in health sciences, 19(3), e00454.
Mufson, 1999: Mufson, L., Weissman, M. M., Moreau, D., & Garfinkel, R. (1999). Efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents. Archives of general psychiatry, 56(6), 573-579.
Mufson, 2004: Mufson, L., Dorta, K. P., Wickramaratne, P., Nomura, Y., Olfson, M., & Weissman, M. M. (2004). A randomized effectiveness trial of interpersonal psychotherapy fordepressed adolescents. Archives of general psychiatry, 61(6), 577-584.
Reynolds, 1986: Reynolds, W. M., & Coats, K. I. (1986). A comparison of cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation training for the treatment of depression in adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54(5), 653.
Rohde, 2004: Rohde, P., Clarke, G. N., Mace, D. E., Jorgensen, J. S., & Seeley, J. R. (2004). An efficacy/effectiveness study of cognitive-behavioral treatment for adolescents with comorbid major depression and conduct disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43(6), 660-668.
Rosselló, 1999: Rosselló, J., & Bernal, G. (1999). The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal treatments for depression in Puerto Rican adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 734.
Sanford, 2006: Sanford, M., Boyle, M., McCleary, L., Miller, J., Steele, M., Duku, E., & Offord, D. (2006). A pilot study of adjunctive family psychoeducation in adolescent major depression: feasibility and treatment effect. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(4), 386-395.
Santomauro, 2016: Santomauro, D., Sheffield, J., & Sofronoff, K. (2016). Depression in adolescents with ASD: A pilot RCT of a group intervention. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 46(2), 572-588.
Schniering, 2022: Schniering, C. A., Einstein, D., Kirkman, J. J., & Rapee, R. M. (2022). Online treatment of adolescents with comorbid anxiety and depression: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders.
Shomaker, 2016: Shomaker, L., Kelly, N., Radin, R., Cassidy, O., Shank, L., Brady, S., . . . Yanovski, J. (2016). Prevention of insulin resistance in adolescents at risk for type 2 diabetes with depressive symptoms: 1-year follow-up of a randomized trial [Article In Press]. Depress Anxiety, (no pagination). doi:10.1002/da.22617. (Accession No. CN-01366195)
Srivastava, 2020: Srivastava P, Mehta M, Sagar R, Ambekar A. Smartteen- a computer assisted cognitive behavior therapy for Indian adolescents with depression- a pilot study. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;50:101970.
Stallard, 2012: Stallard, P., Sayal, K., Phillips, R., Taylor, J. A., Spears, M., Anderson, R., . . . Montgomery, A. A. (2012). Classroom based cognitive behavioural therapy in reducing symptoms of depression in high risk adolescents: pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. Bmj, 345, e6058.
Stark, 1987: Stark, K. D., Reynolds, W. M., & Kaslow, N. J. (1987). A comparison of the relative efficacy of self-control therapy and a behavioral problem-solving therapy for depression in children. J Abnorm Child Psychol, 15(1), 91-113.
Stice, 2008: Stice, E., Rohde, P., Seeley, J. R., & Gau, J. M. (2008). Brief cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program for high-risk adolescents outperforms two alternative interventions: a randomized efficacy trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(4), 595.
Stikkelbroek, 2020: Stikkelbroek, Y., Vink, G., Nauta, M. H., Bottelier, M. A., Vet, L. J., Lont, C. M., ... & Bodden, D. H. (2020). Effectiveness and moderators of individual cognitive behavioral therapy versus treatment as usual in clinically depressed adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-13.
Szigethy, 2007: Szigethy, E., Kenney, E., Carpenter, J., Hardy, D. M., Fairclough, D., Bousvaros, A., . . . Noll, R. (2007). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and subsyndromal depression. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(10), 1290-1298.
Topooco, 2019: Topooco, N., Byléhn, S., Dahlström Nysäter, E., Holmlund, J., Lindegaard, J., Johansson, S., . . . Andersson, G. (2019). Evaluating the Efficacy of Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Blended With Synchronous Chat Sessions to Treat Adolescent Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(11), e13393. doi:10.2196/13393
Vostanis, 1996: Vostanis, P., Feehan, C., Grattan, E., & Bickerton, W.-L. (1996). Treatment for children and adolescents with depression: Lessons from a controlled trial. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 1(2), 199-212.
Weisz, 1997: Weisz, J. R., Thurber, C. A., Sweeney, L., Proffitt, V. D., & LeGagnoux, G. L. (1997). Brief treatment of mild-to-moderate child depression using primary and secondary control enhancement training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65(4), 703.
Weisz, 2009: Weisz, J. R., Southam-Gerow, M. A., Gordis, E. B., Connor-Smith, J. K., Chu, B. C., Langer, D. A., . . . Weiss, B. (2009). Cognitive–behavioral therapy versus usual clinical care for youth depression: An initial test of transportability to community clinics and clinicians. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(3), 383.
Young, 2006: Young, J. F., Mufson, L., & Davies, M. (2006). Efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy‐adolescent skills training: An indicated preventive intervention for depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(12), 1254-1262.
Young, 2010: Young, J. F., Mufson, L., & Gallop, R. (2010). Preventing depression: A randomized trial of interpersonal psychotherapy‐adolescent skills training. Depress Anxiety, 27(5), 426-433.
Young, 2016: Young, J. F., Benas, J. S., Schueler, C. M., Gallop, R., Gillham, J. E., & Mufson, L. (2016). A randomized depression prevention trial comparing interpersonal psychotherapy—Adolescent skills training to group counseling in schools. Prevention Science, 17(3), 314-324.
Yu, 2002: Yu, D. L., & Seligman, M. E. (2002). Preventing depressive symptoms in Chinese children. Prevention & Treatment, 5(1), 9a.
Rohde, 2014a: Rohde, P., Stice, E., Shaw, H., & Brière, F. N. (2014). Indicated cognitive behavioral group depression prevention compared to bibliotherapy and brochure control: Acute effects of an effectiveness trial with adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(1), 65.
Diamond, 2010: Diamond, G. S., Wintersteen, M. B., Brown, G. K., Diamond, G. M., Gallop, R., Shelef, K., & Levy, S. (2010). Attachment-based family therapy for adolescents with suicidal ideation: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(2), 122-131.
Tang, 2009: Tang, T. C., Jou, S. H., Ko, C. H., Huang, S. Y., & Yen, C. F. (2009). Randomized study of school‐based intensive interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents with suicidal risk and parasuicide behaviors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 63(4), 463-470.
Topooco, 2018: Topooco, N., Berg, M., Johansson, S., Liljethörn, L., Radvogin, E., Vlaescu, G., ... & Andersson, G. (2018). Chat-and internet-based cognitive–behavioural therapy in treatment of adolescent depression: randomised controlled trial. BJPsych open, 4(4), 199-207.
Wood, 1996: Wood, A., Harrington, R., & Moore, A. (1996). Controlled trial of a brief cognitive–behavioural intervention in adolescent patients with depressive disorders. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 37(6), 737-746.

Database Flowchart

Studies in the depression-childadol-psyctr dataset were extracted from the larger “depression psychotherapy” database. The study flow of the database can be found below.

Companion papers: n=873
Depression is not an inclusion criterion: n=525
Dissertations: n=24
Effect sizes cannot be estimated: n=98
Maintenenance trial: n=140
No control condition: n=71
No psychotherapy for depression: n=302
No random assignment: n=86
Not available: n=81
Other: n=253
Other language: n=22
Protocol paper: n=367
Stepped care/management program: n=48

Further Information

The full protocol of the METAPSY project ↗
Definitions of types of psychotherapies that are included in the Metapsy depression domain ↗
A paper summarizing main results of the Metapsy depression domain ↗
A meta-analysis using the children and adolescents database ↗
Published meta-analyses using the database ↗
Published 'individual participant data' meta-analyses, based on the database ↗