Depression experience journal: a computer-based intervention for families facing childhood depression

This study tested the feasibility and safety of a computer-based application for families facing childhood depression. The Depression Experience Journal (EJ) is a psychoeducational intervention based on a narrative model involving the sharing of personal stories about childhood depression.

Semistructured interviews assessed Depression EJ feasibility and safety. Thirty-eight primary caretakers of children with depression (one caretaker per patient) used the EJ during a psychiatric hospitalization. Assessment of feasibility and safety was measured before EJ use and 2 to 4 weeks afterward.

Results revealed that the EJ was safe and useful for decreasing social isolation, increasing hope, increasing understanding of familial feelings about childhood depression, and fostering positive reactions in caretakers.

Computer-based interventions hold significant promise in providing a new manner of psychosocial support to families facing child and adolescent psychiatric illnesses.