Web Intervention for Adolescents Affected by Disaster: Population-Based Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Disaster Psychology
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Disaster-affected youth experience significant mental health challenges, including PTSD and depression.
• Existing interventions may not be scalable or accessible to all affected populations.
• Web-based interventions offer a potential solution for delivering mental health support to disaster survivors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Bounce Back Now (BBN), a modular, web-based intervention.
• To assess BBN's impact on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms in adolescents post-disaster.
• To determine the feasibility and scalability of BBN as a disaster mental health intervention.

Main Methods:

• A population-based randomized controlled trial enrolled 2,000 adolescents and parents from tornado-affected communities.
• Participants were randomized to receive BBN, BBN plus parent modules, or assessment only.
• Data were collected via semi-structured telephone interviews at baseline and 12-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Nearly 50% of families accessed the web portal.
• Intent-to-treat analyses showed significant reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms for adolescents in the BBN groups compared to the control group at 12 months.
• The BBN intervention showed a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms compared to the BBN plus parent self-help condition.

Conclusions:

• Bounce Back Now (BBN) is a feasible and effective web-based intervention for disaster-affected adolescents.
• Technology-based mental health solutions hold significant potential for mitigating the impact of disasters.
• BBN demonstrates scalability as a disaster mental health intervention for youth.