A Brief, Affordable, Broad-Access Transdiagnostic Intervention (Project RE-THINK) for Adolescents: Quasi-Experimental...

Area of Science:

• Adolescent mental health
• Cognitive behavioral interventions
• School-based mental health programs

Background:

• Adolescence is a critical period for mental health, with high rates of stress, depression, and anxiety.
• Barriers like stigma and cost limit access to effective adolescent mental health treatments.
• School systems offer a scalable platform for delivering mental health interventions to adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the immediate impact of Project RE-THINK, a digital intervention, on adolescent negative cognitions and emotional valence.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a single-session, school-based digital thought record intervention.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental pre/post design was used with 1052 adolescents (grades 10-12).
• Participants completed a digital thought record intervention to identify, challenge negative cognitions, and practice emotion regulation.
• Measures of negative cognition and emotional valence were collected before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Adolescents showed a significant reduction in belief in negative cognitions (d=0.85) and improved emotional valence (d=-0.98).
• A significant correlation was found between reduced negative cognition and improved emotional valence (r=0.25).
• Intervention efficacy was consistent across diverse demographic groups (gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status).

Conclusions:

• Project RE-THINK effectively improved adolescent cognitive and emotional outcomes.
• The intervention demonstrates potential as a scalable, low-cost mental health solution for schools.
• Further research should explore longitudinal effects and curriculum integration for sustained adolescent mental health support.