Effect of Problem Area on Outcomes Among Adolescents Treated With Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression.

OBJECTIVE: Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) aims to treat depression by addressing one of four problem areas: grief, role disputes, role transitions, or interpersonal deficits. This study compared the characteristics of adolescents by problem area and evaluated the impact of problem area on outcomes. METHODS: Forty adolescents (ages 12-17) participated in a randomized trial of adaptive treatment strategies that included IPT-A. RESULTS: Adolescents with role disputes were younger than adolescents with interpersonal deficits or role transitions and had worse expectations for therapeutic alliance than those in the transitions group. Adolescents with interpersonal deficits had higher attachment avoidance than those in the transitions group. Posttreatment, adolescents in the transitions group had more severe depression and social adjustment problems than those in the deficits group and more social adjustment problems than those in the disputes group. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study's findings suggest that differing IPT-A problem areas may affect prognosis.

The Depression Prevention Initiative: Mediators of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training.

Several adolescent depression prevention programs have demonstrated effects on depressive symptoms and overall functioning. Yet, despite an increasing emphasis on elucidating mechanisms of change in interventions, few studies have identified mediators of these preventive interventions. In this study, we examined interpersonal mediators of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), an evidence-based depression prevention program. The Depression Prevention Initiative is a school-based randomized controlled trial in which 186 adolescents (M age = 14.01, SD = 1.22; 66.7% female; 32.2% racial minority) were assigned to receive either IPT-AST (n = 95) or Group Counseling (GC) (n = 91). We examined whether change in interpersonal conflict, social support, or social functioning from baseline to midintervention mediated the effects of IPT-AST on depressive symptoms and overall functioning at postintervention. At postintervention, youth in IPT-AST had lower depressive symptoms (d = -.31) and higher overall functioning scores (d = .32) than youth in GC. Improvements in adolescent romantic functioning, reductions in peer conflict, and improvements in a factor score reflecting mother-adolescent conflict and difficulties in family functioning emerged as significant mediators. However, the effects of the intervention on change in the mediators were not statistically significant. These findings add to the sparse literature on mediators of psychosocial interventions, provide partial support for the theoretical mechanisms underlying change in IPT-AST, and highlight important directions for future prevention and intervention research.

Change in dysfunctional attitudes and attachment in interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents.

ABSTRACT This study examined changes in depressed adolescents' reports of dysfunctional attitudes while receiving interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A) and the relationship between the change in dysfunctional attitudes and change in attachment anxiety and avoidance with IPT-A. Forty adolescents (age 12-17) participated in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of 4 adaptive treatment strategies that began with IPT-A and augmented treatment for insufficient responders by adding additional IPT-A sessions or the antidepressant medication, fluoxetine. Measures of attachment anxiety and avoidance (Experience in Close Relationships Scale-Revised [ECR-R]), dysfunctional attitudes (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale [DAS]), and depression (Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised [CDRS-R]) were administered at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16. Adolescents demonstrated a significant decrease in dysfunctional attitudes (DAS) over the course of treatment. Reductions in dysfunctional attitudes (DAS) were also significantly associated with reductions in attachment anxiety and avoidance (ECR-R), controlling for depression (CDRS-R). Our results suggest that change in adolescents' attachment anxiety and avoidance may be an important mechanism of change in adolescents' dysfunctional thinking patterns.

Long-Term Effects from a School-Based Trial Comparing Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training to Group Counseling.

Adolescence represents a vulnerable developmental period for depression and an opportune time for prevention efforts. In this study, 186 adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms (M age = 14.01, SD = 1.22; 66.7% female; 32.2% racial minority) were randomized to receive either Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST; n = 95) delivered by research clinicians or group counseling (GC; n = 91) delivered by school counselors. We previously reported the short-term outcomes of this school-based randomized controlled trial: IPT-AST youth experienced significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms and overall functioning through 6-month follow-up. Here, we present the long-term outcomes through 24 months postintervention. We examined differences in rates of change in depressive symptoms and overall functioning and differences in rates of depression diagnoses. Youth in both conditions showed significant improvements in depressive symptoms and overall functioning from baseline to 24-month follow-up, demonstrating the efficacy of school-based depression prevention programs. However, the two groups did not differ in overall rates of change or in rates of depression diagnoses from baseline to 24-month follow-up. Although IPT-AST demonstrated advantages over GC in the short term, these effects dissipated over long-term follow-up. Specifically, from 6- to 24-month follow-up, GC youth showed continued decreases in depressive symptoms, whereas IPT-AST youth showed a nonsignificant increase in symptoms. GC youth remained relatively stable in overall functioning, whereas IPT-AST youth experienced a small but statistically significant worsening in functioning. This study highlights the potential of school-based depression prevention efforts and the need for further research.

The role of attachment style in interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents.

OBJECTIVE(S): This study examined changes in depressed adolescents' reports of attachment anxiety and avoidance with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A), and the relationship between attachment style and change in depression with IPT-A. METHOD: Forty adolescents (aged 12-17) participated in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of 4 adaptive treatment strategies for adolescent depression that began with IPT-A and augmented treatment for insufficient responders (n = 22) by adding additional IPT-A sessions (n = 11) or the antidepressant medication, fluoxetine (n = 11). Adolescents were 77.5% female and 22.5% male (mean age = 14.8, SD = 1.8). Ten percent of adolescents were Latino. Racial composition was 7.5% Asian, 7.5% American Indian/Alaska Native, 80.0% white, and 5.0% biracial. Measures of attachment style (Experience in Close Relationships Scale-Revised [ECR-R]) and depression (Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised [CDRS-R]) were administered at baseline and Weeks 8 and 16. RESULTS: Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance (ECR-R) decreased significantly from baseline to Week 16. Baseline Avoidance positively predicted greater reductions in depression (CDRS-R), controlling for fluoxetine. Reductions in Anxiety and Avoidance were also significantly associated with reductions in CDRS-R, controlling for fluoxetine. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' reports of attachment anxiety and avoidance are amenable to intervention with IPT-A. IPT-A may be particularly beneficial for adolescents who report a high level of avoidant attachment. Clinical or methodological significance of this article Our findings suggest that attachment anxiety and avoidance are constructs that are amenable to intervention during adolescence, and therefore viable targets of treatment. IPT-A was found to be an effective intervention for addressing problems in attachment style, and decreases in attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with reductions in depression. This provides support for selecting IPT-A as a treatment option for adolescents who are depressed and describe difficulty with attachment security. IPT-A appears to be particularly effective for adolescents with an avoidant attachment style, who experience discomfort with and have a tendency to avoid intimacy.

Interpersonal psychotherapy for mood and behavior dysregulation: Pilot randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Youth with chronic irritability and excessive reactivity, diagnosed as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), have social impairment in multiple settings (i.e., peers, school, and home). This paper presents a pilot randomized trial assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for mood and behavior dysregulation (IPT-MBD), an adapted version of IPT for depressed adolescents. IPT-MBD focuses on decreasing outbursts and irritability and improving interpersonal interactions. METHODS: Nineteen adolescents (aged 12-17) with DMDD or its research precursor, severe mood dysregulation, were randomly assigned to IPT-MBD (n = 10) or treatment-as-usual (TAU, n = 9) in a 24-week psychosocial intervention study. Assessments of mood symptoms and overall functioning were conducted by an independent evaluator, blinded to treatment, every 4 weeks. Parent and self-report irritability measures were collected every 4 weeks. RESULTS: Eighty percent of participants randomized to the IPT-MBD arm completed the study. Also, participants enrolled in the IPT-MBD arm attended >80% of therapy sessions. Parents and teens agreed that the frequency and duration of therapy were appropriate and were satisfied with IPT-MBD treatment. Clinical global impression scales for severity and improvement showed statistically greater improvement in the IPT-MBD group compared to TAU. CONCLUSIONS: In this small pilot randomized trial, IPT-MBD was feasible and acceptable to parents and teens. There was significantly more improvement in the IPT-MBD group compared to TAU. IPT-MBD holds promise as a potentially effective psychosocial intervention for clinically impaired youth with DMDD and warrants further investigation in a larger randomized trial.

Stepped Care Interpersonal Psychotherapy Treatment for Depressed Adolescents: A Pilot Study in Pediatric Clinics.

Adolescents with depression are at risk for negative long-term consequences and recurrence of depression. Many do not receive nor access treatment, especially Latino youth. New treatment approaches are needed. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a stepped collaborative care treatment model (SCIPT-A) for adolescents with depression utilizing interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) and antidepressant medication (if needed) compared to Enhanced Treatment as Usual (E-TAU) in urban pediatric primary care clinics serving primarily Latino youth. Results suggest the SCIPT-A model is feasible, acceptable and potentially beneficial for urban Latino adolescents. Clinicians delivered the SCIPT-A model with fidelity using supervision successfully implemented in a community setting.

Innovations in Practice: The relationship betweensleep disturbances, depression, and interpersonal functioning in treatment for adolescent depression.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is frequently comorbid with depression and sleep complaints are the most common residual symptoms after treatment among adolescents with depression. The present analyses investigated the effect of sleep disturbance in depressed adolescents treated with Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) versus Treatment as Usual (TAU) in school-based mental health clinics. METHOD: 63 adolescents participated in a randomized clinical trial of IPT-A versus TAU for adolescent depression. Participants were diagnosed with a DSM-IV depressive disorder and assessed for symptoms of depression, interpersonal functioning and sleep disturbance. Measures were assessed at baseline, session 4 and 8 of treatment, and session 12 for post-acute treatment follow-up. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to model change in depression, interpersonal functioning and sleep disturbance. RESULTS: Ongoing sleep disturbance was significantly associated with worse depression scores as rated by clinician (γ = 1.04, SE = 0.22, p < .001) and self-report (γ = 1.63, SE = 0.29, p < .001), as well as worse interpersonal functioning across the course of treatment (γ = 0.09, SE = 0.02, p < .001). Treatment condition did not predict change in sleep disturbance (γ = -0.13, SE = 0.14, p = ns). CONCLUSIONS: For all patients in the study, sleep disturbance was a predictor of depression and interpersonal functioning for depressed adolescents. Sleep disturbance predicted more depression and interpersonal stress across treatments and led to a slower improvement in depression and interpersonal functioning. This data suggests that sleep disturbance should be a target for future treatment development research among depressed adolescents.

Can school counselors deliver cognitive-behavioral treatment for social anxiety effectively? A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) typically onsets in adolescence and is associated with multiple impairments. Despite promising clinical interventions, most socially anxious adolescents remain untreated. To address this clinical neglect, we developed a school-based, 12-week group intervention for youth with SAD, Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS). When implemented by psychologists, SASS has been found effective. To promote dissemination and optimize treatment access, we tested whether school counselors could be effective treatment providers. METHOD: We randomized 138, ninth through 11th graders with SAD to one of three conditions: (a) SASS delivered by school counselors (C-SASS), (b) SASS delivered by psychologists (P-SASS), or (c) a control condition, Skills for Life (SFL), a nonspecific counseling program. Blind, independent, evaluations were conducted with parents and adolescents at baseline, post-intervention, and 5 months beyond treatment completion. We hypothesized that C-SASS and P-SASS would be superior to the control, immediately after treatment and at follow-up. No prediction was made about the relative efficacy of C-SASS and P-SASS. RESULTS: Compared to controls, adolescents treated with C-SASS or P-SASS experienced significantly greater improvement and reductions of anxiety at the end of treatment and follow-up. There were no significant differences between SASS delivered by school counselors and psychologists. CONCLUSION: With training, school counselors are effective treatment providers to adolescents with social anxiety, yielding benefits comparable to those obtained by specialized psychologists. Questions remain regarding means to maintain counselors' practice standards without external support.

A Pilot SMART for Developing an Adaptive Treatment Strategy for Adolescent Depression.

This pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility and acceptability of 4 adaptive treatment strategies (ATSs) for adolescent depression to plan for a subsequent full-scale clinical trial. The ATSs aim to address 2 questions that arise when personalizing treatment: (a) For adolescents treated with Interpersonal Psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A; Mufson et al., 2004 ), at what time point should therapists make the determination that the adolescent is not likely to respond if the initial treatment plan is continued (week 4 or week 8)? (b) For adolescents who are judged to need their treatment augmented, should the therapist increase the number of IPT-A sessions or add pharmacotherapy (fluoxetine)? A 16-week pilot sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) was conducted with 32 adolescents (M age = 14.9) who had a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, or depressive disorder not otherwise specified. Adolescents were primarily female (75%) and Caucasian (84.4%). Data regarding the feasibility and acceptability of the study and treatment procedures and treatment response rates were collected. Week 4 was the more feasible and acceptable decision point for assessing need for a change to treatment. Adolescents, parents, and therapists reported a range of attitudes about medication and more intensive therapy as treatment options. Results from the pilot study have yielded additional research questions for the full-scale SMART and will improve our ability to successfully conduct the trial.

A Randomized Depression Prevention Trial Comparing Interpersonal Psychotherapy--Adolescent Skills Training to Group Counseling in Schools.

Given the rise in depression disorders in adolescence, it is important to develop and study depression prevention programs for this age group. The current study examined the efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), a group prevention program for adolescent depression, in comparison to group programs that are typically delivered in school settings. In this indicated prevention trial, 186 adolescents with elevated depression symptoms were randomized to receive IPT-AST delivered by research staff or group counseling (GC) delivered by school counselors. Hierarchical linear modeling examined differences in rates of change in depressive symptoms and overall functioning from baseline to the 6-month follow-up assessment. Cox regression compared rates of depression diagnoses. Adolescents in IPT-AST showed significantly greater improvements in self-reported depressive symptoms and evaluator-rated overall functioning than GC adolescents from baseline to the 6-month follow-up. However, there were no significant differences between the two conditions in onset of depression diagnoses. Although both intervention conditions demonstrated significant improvements in depressive symptoms and overall functioning, results indicate that IPT-AST has modest benefits over groups run by school counselors which were matched on frequency and duration of sessions. In particular, IPT-AST outperformed GC in reduction of depressive symptoms and improvements in overall functioning. These findings point to the clinical utility of this depression prevention program, at least in the short-term. Additional follow-up is needed to determine the long-term effects of IPT-AST, relative to GC, particularly in preventing depression onset.

Innovations in Practice: a pilot study of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents and their parents.

BACKGROUND: Problems in adolescents' relationships with their parents are a significant risk factor for the development and maintenance of depression. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A) who were also experiencing problems in their relationships with parents. The adaptation includes greater and more structured parent involvement in the treatment (IPT-AP). METHOD: Fifteen adolescents (age 12-17) who were diagnosed with depression and were also experiencing conflictual or emotionally disengaged relationships with their parents (based on adolescent or parent report on the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire) participated in a 16 week randomized clinical trial of individually delivered IPT-A versus IPT-AP. Data regarding the feasibility and acceptability of IPT-AP were collected. Assessments of depression and family functioning were completed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 by evaluators blind to treatment condition. RESULTS: IPT-AP was feasible to implement, and adolescents and parents reported high treatment satisfaction. Adolescents demonstrated significant improvements in depressive symptoms, general functioning, and family functioning. IPT-AP was more efficacious than individual IPT-A in improving adolescents' perceptions of father-adolescent relations and mothers' perceptions of mother-adolescent relations. CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents and their parents was feasible to implement and acceptable to families, indicating that a full-scale randomized controlled trial to evaluate its efficacy is warranted.

Cultural Competency and Its Effect on Treatment Outcome of IPT-A in School-Based Health Clinics.

BACKGROUND: This paper assesses acculturation and ethnic matching of therapist and patient as predictors and moderators of treatment outcome in a 12-week effectiveness study of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A) versus treatment as usual (TAU). The treatment was delivered in school-based health clinics in which care was provided for a predominantly Latino patient population. METHODS: Birthplace, length of residence in the United States (U.S.), and therapist-patient ethnic matching were examined as predictors and moderators of treatment outcomes for depression, social functioning, and global functioning scores. RESULTS: Birthplace significantly moderated treatment condition in predicting week 12 depression severity and improvement, and marginally significantly moderated treatment in predicting week 12 depression symptoms, with U.S.-born adolescents who received IPT-A having better outcomes. Birthplace predicted week 12 self-reports of depression, social (overall, school, and family) and global functioning, with U.S.-born adolescents faring worse across treatment conditions. Foreign-born adolescents treated with IPT-A as compared to TAU who lived for a longer period of time in the U.S. demonstrated better overall social functioning as compared to foreign-born adolescents who had lived for a shorter period of time in the U.S. Ethnic matching predicted significant reduction in depression severity and improved overall social functioning, and marginally significant improvement in week 12 depression scores, regardless of treatment condition. CONCLUSIONS: IPT-A may be a culturally responsive treatment for depressed Latino youth who are struggling with acculturation issues that affect their significant relationships. Ethnic matching appears beneficial for the general population in reducing depression and improving social functioning.

Engaging Black youth in depression and suicide prevention treatment within urban schools: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot.

BACKGROUND: Depression continues to be an ongoing threat to adolescent well-being with Black adolescents being particularly vulnerable to greater burdens of depression as well as lower mental health service utilization. Black adolescents are likely to have untreated depression due to social network influences, varied perceptions of services and providers, or self-stigma associated with experiencing depressive symptoms. Furthermore, if or when treatment is initiated, low engagement and early termination are common. To address this gap, a trial is being conducted to preliminarily test the effectiveness of an engagement intervention targeting Black adolescents with depression in school mental health services in New York City. METHODS: A total of 60 Black middle and high school adolescents displaying depressive symptoms are equally randomized (based on school site) to the treatment arms. Both trial arms deliver Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A), a time-limited, evidence-based treatment for depression. Additionally, one arm pairs IPT-A with a brief, multi-level engagement intervention, the Making Connections Intervention (MCI), involving adolescents, caregivers, and clinicians. Outcomes of interest are group differences in depression and suicide ideation, adolescent and caregiver engagement, and mental health service use. DISCUSSION: This trial will serve as an efficacy assessment of the MCI among a sample of Black adolescent students with depressive symptoms. Clinical and implementation results will be used to inform future research to further test the MCI intervention in a larger sample. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered by ClinicalTrials.gov on May 3, 2019, identifier: NCT03940508.

Consultants' perceptions of school counselors' ability to implement an empirically-based intervention for adolescent social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety is highly prevalent but goes untreated. Although school-based CBT programs are efficacious when delivered by specialized psychologists, it is unclear whether school counselors can implement these interventions effectively, which is essential to promote sustainable school programs. We present an initial consultation strategy to support school counselor implementation of group CBT for social anxiety and an evaluation of counselors' treatment fidelity. Counselors were highly adherent to the treatment, but competence varied based on measurement. Counselors and consultants demonstrated good agreement for adherence, but relatively modest correspondence in competence ratings. We discuss future directions for school-based implementation efforts informed by these initial findings.

The role of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in passive suicide ideation among Latinx and Black youth.

INTRODUCTION: The interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS) is used to evaluate suicide risk. Yet, it has not been sufficiently tested with ethnoracially minoritized youth. This study aimed to test whether thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) were associated with passive suicide ideation (SI) among Latinx and Black youth. METHODS: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study. Some youth participants were recruited from an ongoing NIMH study of depressed Black youth in schools (N = 20). The rest were participants in a supplemental study of non-depressed Latinx and Black youth in community agencies (N = 61). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between passive SI and the IPTS constructs. RESULTS: Most participants identified as male (63.5%) and Latinx (59.5%), mean age 15.23 (SD = 1.4). Only TB remained significant when adjusting for age and gender, even after adding a measure of depression symptoms as a covariate. Notably, the interaction term (TBXPB) was not significantly associated with increased odds of passive SI in this sample. CONCLUSION: These findings confirm the importance of examining the IPTS constructs and their relationship to passive SI in diverse populations. The relationship between TB and SI in Latinx and Black youth suggests it may be an important target for suicide prevention.

Interpersonal psychotherapy-adolescent skills training: anxiety outcomes and impact of comorbidity.

Given the frequent comorbidity of anxiety and depression, it is important to study the effects of depression interventions on anxiety and the impact of comorbid anxiety on depression outcomes. This article reports on pooled anxiety and depression data from two randomized trials of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), a depression prevention program. Ninety-eight adolescents were randomized to receive IPT-AST or school counseling (SC). Outcome and predictor analyses were performed utilizing hierarchical linear models. IPT-AST adolescents had significantly greater reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms than SC adolescents during the intervention. Baseline anxiety symptoms predicted change in depressive symptoms for adolescents in both intervention conditions, with adolescents low in baseline anxiety demonstrating more rapid change in depressive symptoms than adolescents high in baseline anxiety. These findings indicate that IPT-AST is effective at decreasing both depressive and anxiety symptoms. For adolescents with comorbid symptoms of anxiety, there may be slower rates of change in depressive symptoms following prevention programs.

Interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents adapted for self-injury (IPT-ASI): rationale, overview, and case summary.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without the conscious intent to die, is a significant health concern among adolescents, however, there are few psychosocial interventions designed to treat NSSI. The current paper describes an adaptation of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A) to be used with adolescents who have symptoms of depression and are engaging in NSSI. Specifically, we describe the rationale for the adaptations made to IPT-A for self-injury (IPT-ASI), and a case vignette to illustrate the implementation of IPT-ASI. Non-suicidal self-injury is often triggered by interpersonal stressors, and IPT-ASI directly aims to help clients to improve their interpersonal relationships by increasing emotional awareness and understanding, and teaching communication and problem solving skills via supportive and didactic techniques. The case vignette demonstrates the successes and challenges of using IPT-ASI for an adolescent with moderate depression and NSSI behaviors who began treatment with much difficulty expressing her emotions.

Screening for depression with the PHQ-9 in young adults affected by HIV.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common among young adults with perinatally acquired HIV (YAPHIV), however it is often underdiagnosed and untreated. The PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 are widely used screening instruments for MDD. This study evaluates the accuracy of recommended PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 cut-scores of 10 and 3 for YAPHIV and YA who were perinatally HIV exposed but uninfected (YAPHEU). METHODS: The PHQ-9 was administered to participants (n = 203) in a longitudinal cohort study using the DISC-IV as the gold standard for diagnosing depression. PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 sensitivity and specificity were calculated. ROC curves were constructed for the overall sample and YAPHIV and YAPHEU subsamples. RESULTS: Almost all participants were Black and Latinx, ages 18-29. Overall, the recommended PHQ-9 cut-score of ≥10 yielded a sensitivity of 0.47 (95%CI [0.23,0.72]) and specificity of 0.86 (95%CI [0.80, 0.91]). Results indicate that PHQ-9 cut-scores of 7 and PHQ-2 cut-scores of 2 increased sensitivity to 0.76 (95%CI [0.50, 0.93]) and 0.71(95%CI [0.44,0.90]), and decreased specificity to 0.72 (95%CI [0.65, 0.79]) and 0.73 (95%CI [0.66, 0.79]) respectively. Among subsamples, existing PHQ-9 cut-scores were more accurate for MDD diagnoses in YAPHEU (N = 11) than YAPHIV(N = 6). No race/ethnicity or age differences were found. LIMITATIONS: Participants were recruited from clinics in NYC and may not reflect all YAPHIV and YAPHEU. Without a white HIV comparison group, no conclusions could be made on the impact of race/ethnicity on optimized PHQ-9 cut-scores. CONCLUSIONS: Using tailored cut scores for HIV-affected populations may increase identification of those experiencing or at risk for MDD. Given the need for increased depression screening in HIV care, use of optimized cut-scores could benefit at-risk populations in the US and globally.

Early patterns of symptom change signal remission with interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents.

BACKGROUND: This study examined whether reductions in depression symptoms at different time points over the course of therapy predict remission for depressed adolescents treated with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A) or treatment as usual (TAU) delivered in school-based health clinics. METHODS: Participants were 63 adolescents (ages 12-18) drawn from a randomized controlled clinical trial examining the effectiveness of IPT-A Mufson et al. [2004; Archives of General Psychiatry 61:577-584]. Adolescents were randomized to receive IPT-A or TAU delivered by school-based mental health clinicians. Assessments were completed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 (or at early termination) and included the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD; Hamilton [1967; British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 6:278-2962]). RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to identify the time point and degree of reduction in HRSD that best predicted remission (HRSD <7) at the end of the trial (week 16). Week 4 was the best time point for classifying adolescents as likely to remit or not likely to remit for both IPT-A and TAU. A 16.2% reduction in HRSD from baseline represented the best combined sensitivity and specificity in predicting week 16 remission status for adolescents treated with IPT-A. A 24.4% reduction in depressive symptoms represented the best combined sensitivity and specificity in predicting remission status for TAU. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide preliminary evidence of one early marker of remission with IPT-A. Replication with larger samples would suggest that depressed adolescents who have not demonstrated at least a 16.2% reduction in their depressive symptoms after 4 weeks of IPT-A may benefit from a change in the treatment plan.