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Family-Based Interventions for Youth Depression: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Dikla Eckshtain1, Rachel Horn2, John R Weisz2
1Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, 02114, Boston, MA, United States. deckshtain@mgh.harvard.edu.
Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|May 26, 2022
Summary
Family-based interventions for youth depression show modest effects, similar to general psychotherapy. While adolescents aged 13+ benefited more, overall results question the evidence base for these treatments.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Pediatric Mental Health
Background:
- Youth depression is a significant pediatric condition with modest treatment outcomes.
- Practice parameters suggest family context interventions may improve results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of family-based interventions for youth depression.
- To identify moderators influencing treatment outcomes in pediatric depression.
Main Methods:
- Searched five decades of research for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of family-based interventions.
- Included 11 RCTs for participants aged 4-18 years.
- Used robust variance estimation to calculate effect sizes (ES) and test moderators.
Main Results:
- The overall pooled ES was 0.33, comparable to other youth depression treatments.
- Adolescents (≥13 years) showed a higher ES (0.50) than children (0.04).
- Findings did not demonstrate superior outcomes for family-based interventions compared to general treatments.
Conclusions:
- The current evidence base for family-based interventions in youth depression is limited and raises confidence concerns.
- A small number of studies, publication bias, and risk of bias necessitate more rigorous trials.
- Future research should prioritize pre-registered reports and open science practices to improve evidence dissemination.
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