Other Projects

Brief Behavioral Therapy (BBT) for Pediatric Anxiety and Depression in Primary Care

This multi-site randomized-controlled trial tested the effects of a brief behavioral therapy (BBT) in a large sample of youths (N = 185; aged 8.0-16.9 years) presenting with anxiety and/or depression in primary care. Youths were randomized to either BBT or assisted referral to mental health care (ARC) in the community. The BBT intervention consisted of 8 to 12 weekly 45-minute sessions of behavioral therapy delivered in pediatric clinics by master’s-level clinicians. Youths in the BBT group (n = 95), compared with those in the ARC group (n = 90), had significantly higher rates of clinical improvement (56.8% vs 28.2%), greater reductions in symptoms, and better functioning post-treatment. Ethnicity moderated outcomes, with Hispanic youth having substantially stronger responses to BBT (76.5%) than ARC (7.1%). Effects were robust across sites. The findings indicate that a pediatric-based brief behavioral intervention for anxiety and depression is associated with benefits superior to those of assisted referral to outpatient mental health care. Effects suggested that BBT worked broadly in the population of community youths struggling with anxiety and depression and, thus, may be a useful tool in addressing ethnic disparities in care

You can find the primary outcomes paper for the study here. For more papers, see the Publications page.

Prevention of Depression in At-Risk Adolescents (POD)

The Prevention of Depression (POD) study was a national, multi-site study designed to assess the impact of a cognitive behavioral prevention program on the future incidence of mood disorders and depressive symptoms in a large sample of at-risk adolescents.  Data collection sites included Vanderbilt University (Nashville), Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (Pittsburgh), Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (Portland), and Harvard University School of Medicine (Boston). This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (MH06450; Garber [PI], Weersing [co-I]).

The POD study dataset is an important archival resource and has served as the basis for multiple publications on the prevention of depression in youths.