Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Individualized rTMS Treatment for Depression using an fMRI-Based Targeting Method

Individualized rTMS Treatment for Depression using an fMRI-Based Targeting Method

Published on: August 2, 2021

The effect of behavioral activation play therapy in adolescents with depression: A study protocol for a randomized

Xiaolong Huang^1,2, Yuqi Chen³, Jiacheng Luo⁴

¹The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

|June 20, 2024

Abstract

Background:

Depression is a common psychological problem in adolescents worldwide. Although the World Health Organization recommends that members of this population engage in physical activity to reduce depressive symptoms, compliance with this recommendation is often low. Furthermore, although behavioral activation (BA) is recommended as a treatment for adolescents with depression, the reported effect size is small. Compared with traditional exercises, gamified physical activity (GPA) can be particularly appealing to adolescents because it is perceived as an enjoyable experience. In this study, we integrated BA and GPA to create behavioral activation play therapy (BAPT). We designed a clinical trial to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of this treatment in adolescents with depression.

Methods:

This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a three-arm, assessor-blinded design, conducted to validate the effectiveness and applicability of BAPT for treating adolescent with depression. We will recruit 258 participants and randomly assign them to a BAPT group, BA group, or GPA group using a ratio of 1:1:1. Based on conventional strategies for treatment and care, the three groups will receive nine BAPT sessions, nine BA sessions, or nine GPA sessions, respectively. We will compare the outcomes of the BAPT with those of the BA and GPA interventions.

Discussion:

This is the first RCT to explore the effectiveness and applicability of BAPT in adolescents with depression. This study will provide evidence that may help to decrease depressive symptoms in adolescents, and will demonstrate the treatment effectiveness in terms of increasing levels of physical activity, reducing the rate of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors, and improving sleep quality. We will also assess the presence of side effects and the treatment adherence of patients receiving BAPT.

Trial Registration:

Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2300072671. Registered on 20 June 2023.

More Related Videos

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats

A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats

Published on: February 22, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Modeling in Therapy

Modeling in Therapy

Modeling, a key technique in therapy, uses observational learning to help clients acquire and practice new skills by watching therapists demonstrate desired behaviors. This approach, rooted in Albert Bandura's concept of vicarious learning, plays a significant role in therapeutic interventions for various psychological conditions, including social anxiety, ADHD, and depression.
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy, pioneered by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, is a structured approach to addressing psychological distress by focusing on the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors. All cognitive therapies involve the basic assumption that human beings have control over their feelings, and that how individuals feel about something depends on how they think about it. Unlike psychoanalytic methods that delve into unconscious processes or humanistic approaches emphasizing...

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early...

Behavior Modification

Behavior Modification

Behavioral approaches have often been criticized for ignoring mental processes and focusing solely on observable behavior. However, these approaches provide an optimistic perspective for individuals seeking to change their behaviors. Rather than concentrating on intrinsic personality traits, behavioral approaches suggest that even longstanding habits can be modified by changing the reward contingencies that maintain them.
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...

Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Single-Arm Pre-Post Evaluation of a Six-Week Mindset-Integrated Stress Regulation Course Among Postgraduate Students at a Chinese Medical University.

Advances in medical education and practice·2026

Satisfaction with Job Transfer Training Among Physicians Transitioning to Psychiatric Practice in Guangdong Province, China.

Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry·2026

Exploring the functioning trajectories and associated factors in adolescents with first-diagnosis major depressive disorder: Evidence from the sBEAD cohort.

Journal of affective disorders·2026

Effect of parallel adolescent and parent dialectical behavior therapy skills training vs. adolescent-only skills training on nonsuicidal self-injury: a pilot randomized trial.

BMC psychiatry·2026

Analysis of electroencephalogram microstates and spectral power in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

European child & adolescent psychiatry·2026

Shared subcortical-default mode morphological dysconnectivity in adolescent bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.

Communications biology·2026

See all related articles