IMPORTANCE Although 13% to 20% of American adolescents experience a depressive episode annually, no scalable primary care model for adolescent depression prevention is currently available.OBJECTIVE To study whether competent adulthood transition with cognitive behavioral humanistic and interpersonal training (CATCH-IT) lowers the hazard for depression in at-risk adolescents identified in primary care, as compared with a general health education (HE) attention control. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis multicenter, randomized clinical trial, a phase 3 singleblind study, compares CATCH-IT with HE. Participants were enrolled from 2012 to 2016 and assessed at 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postrandomization in a primary care setting. Eligible adolescents were aged 13 to 18 years with subsyndromal depression and/or history of depression and no current depression diagnosis or treatment. Of 2250 adolescents screened for eligibility, 446 participants completed the baseline interview, and 369 were randomized into CATCH-IT (n = 193) and HE (n = 176). INTERVENTIONS The internet-based intervention, CATCH-IT, is a 20-module (15 adolescent modules and 5 parent modules) online psychoeducation course that includes a parent program, supported by 3 motivational interviews. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Time to event for depressive episode; depressive symptoms at 6 months. RESULTS Of 369 participants (mean [SD] age, 15.4 [1.5] years; 251 women [68%]) included in this trial, 193 were randomized into CATCH-IT and 176 into HE. Among these participants, 28% had both a past episode and subsyndromal depression; 12% had a past episode only, 59% had subsyndromal depression only, and 1% had borderline subsyndromal depression. The outcome of time to event favored CATCH-IT but was not significant with intention-to-treat analyses (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.27-1.29; P = .18; adjusted HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.23-1.23; P = .14). Adolescents with higher baseline Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D 10 ) scores showed a significantly stronger effect of CATCH-IT on time to event relative to those with lower baseline scores (HR 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67-0.99; P = .04). For example, the hazard ratio for a CES-D 10 score of 15 was 0.20 (95% CI, 0.05-0.77), compared with a hazard ratio of 1.44 (95% CI, 0.41-5.03) for a CES-D 10 (continued) Key Points Questions Does an internet-based depression prevention program (competent adulthood transition with cognitive behavioral humanistic and interpersonal training) lower the hazard for depression in at-risk adolescents relative to health education attention control? Findings In this randomized clinical trial of adolescents with subsyndromal depression or history of depression randomized to receive internet-based behavioral humanistic interpersonal training or an internet-based general health education control, those who received the CATCH-IT intervention did not evidence fewer episodes of depression in the full intention-to-treat sample, but adolescents with subsyndromal depression may...

Background Adolescent depression carries a high burden of disease worldwide, but access to care for this population is limited. Prevention is one solution to curtail the negative consequences of adolescent depression. Internet interventions to prevent adolescent depression can overcome barriers to access, but few studies examine long-term outcomes. Objective This study compares CATCH-IT (Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Training), an internet-based intervention, to a general health education active control for depression onset at 12 and 24 months in adolescents presenting to primary care settings. Methods A 2-site randomized trial, blinded to the principal investigators and assessors, was conducted comparing Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Training to health education to prevent depressive episodes in 369 adolescents (193 youths were randomly assigned to Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Training and 176 to health education) with subthreshold depressive symptoms or prior depressive episodes. Participants were recruited from primary care settings in the United States. The primary outcome was the occurrence of a depressive episode, determined by the Depression Symptom Rating. The secondary outcome was functioning, measured by the Global Assessment Scale. Results In intention-to-treat analyses, the adjusted hazard ratio favoring Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Training for first depressive episode was not statistically significant at 12 months (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.42-1.40, P=.39) and 24 months (hazard ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.52-1.47, P=.61). Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Training provided preventive benefit for first depressive episode for those with mild hopelessness or at least moderate paternal monitoring at baseline. Global Assessment Scale scores improved comparably in both groups (intention-to-treat). Conclusions A technology-based intervention for adolescent depression prevention implemented in primary care did not have additional benefit at 12 or 24 months. Further research is necessary to determine whether internet interventions have long-term benefit. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01893749; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01893749.

PurposePrimary care providers are positioned to identify adolescents at risk for depression and prevent major depressive disorder. To identify subthreshold depression, we examined the language adolescents use to describe their symptoms.MethodsAdolescents ages 13–18 with elevated levels on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and/or a history of depression who were part of a large randomized clinical trial to prevent depressive disorder were included. We used content analysis to analyze transcripts of semi-structured interviews.ResultsSaturation was reached at 37 interviews. Adolescents self-identified as African American (N = 15), Hispanic (N = 10), and White (N = 21). Three domains were revealed; external sources of stress, adolescent expressions of sadness, and seeking help and care. Within these domains, 12 distinct themes emerged contextualizing these domains. No variations in the expression of the themes identified for subthreshold depression were found between the three ethno-cultural groups.Implications for PracticeOur study identifies, in adolescents' own words, how adolescents with subthreshold depression express feelings and cope with symptoms, and may guide primary care providers to recognize subthreshold depression early. These findings are a step toward filling the gap in the empirical literature needed to improve identification of adolescents at risk for depression in nonspecialist settings.

BACKGROUND Although adolescent depression carries a high burden of disease worldwide, few scalable depression interventions target adolescents in primary care. OBJECTIVE This study compares CATCH-IT (Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic and Interpersonal Training), an internet-based intervention, to a general health education (HE) “attention control” on depression onset in adolescents. METHODS We conducted a two-site, single-blind randomized trial comparing CATCH-IT to HE to prevent depressive episodes in 369 adolescents (ages 13-18, 43.1% identified as non-Hispanic white) with sub-threshold depressive symptoms and/or prior depressive episode. The primary outcome was the occurrence of first episode, determined by the Depression Symptom Rating (DSR). Secondary symptom outcomes include the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D10) and Global Assessment Scale (GAS). RESULTS Between March 23, 2012 – June 22, 2016, 193 youths were randomly assigned to CATCH-IT and 176 to HE. In intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses, the adjusted hazard ratio favoring CATCH-IT for first depressive episode was not statistically significant at 12 (HR = 0.77, 95% CI, 0.42, 1.40, p = 0.39) and 24 months (HR = 0.87, 95% CI, 0.52, 1.47, p = 0.61). In analyses restricted to adolescents enrolled with elevated depression symptoms (N=321), baseline CES-D10 score was a marginally significant moderator at 12 months, with CATCH-IT providing greater benefit in adolescents with higher CES-D10 scores (0.15 decline in HR for each CES-D10 point increase, p = 0.054). CATCH-IT provided preventive benefit for first depressive episode for those with mild hopelessness or at least moderate paternal monitoring at baseline. GAS and CES-D10 scores declined comparably in both groups (ITT). CONCLUSIONS A technology-based intervention for prevention implemented in primary care may be beneficial up to 24 months for adolescents with elevated depressed mood, or with lower levels of hopelessness and higher levels of paternal monitoring. CLINICALTRIAL NCT01893749, www.clinicaltrials.gov