Abstract
BackgroundMind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) have shown promise in reducing adolescent depression symptoms; however, little is known about adolescents’ perspectives on this treatment. The objective of this study was to understand the acceptability of a new treatment for depressed adolescents in primary care settings.MethodsAdolescents participating in a 10-week MBSG treatment were interviewed to understand their perspectives on the acceptability and effectiveness of the treatment. Interviews were collected at post-intervention and at a 3-month follow-up visit.ResultsA total of 39 adolescents completed both the post-intervention and 3-month follow-up interview. At post-intervention and follow-up, 84% of adolescents stated the MBSGs helped them. When asked how the MBSGs helped them, 3 areas were identified: learning new MBSG activities and skills, social connection with others within the group, and outcomes related to the group. Many adolescents reported no concerns with the MBSGs (49% at post- intervention; 62% at follow-up). Those with concerns identified certain activities as not being useful, wanting the group to be longer, and the time of group (after school) being inconvenient. Most adolescents reported that their life had changed because of the group (72% at post-intervention; 61% at follow-up), and when asked how, common responses included feeling less isolated and more hopeful.ConclusionsAdolescents found the MBSGs to be helpful and acceptable as a treatment option for depression in primary care. Given the strong emphasis on treatment preference autonomy and the social activities within the group, MBSGs appear well-suited for this age group.Trial registrationNCT03363750; December 6th, 2017.
Highlights
Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) have shown promise in reducing adolescent depression symptoms; little is known about adolescents’ perspectives on this treatment
Inclusion criteria required that adolescents (1) screened positive for depression based on a structured diagnostic interview assessment, [35] (2) were primary care patients of the participating hospital system, (3) were between 13 and 17 years old, (4) spoke English, and (5) were willing to attend the MBSG intervention for 10 consecutive weeks
The majority of participants were female (76%), Hispanic/ Latinx (69%), and in Junior High (61%; Table 1). At both the post-intervention and 3-month follow-up, 84% of adolescents reported that the MBSGs were helpful to them
Summary
Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) have shown promise in reducing adolescent depression symptoms; little is known about adolescents’ perspectives on this treatment. The objective of this study was to understand the acceptability of a new treatment for depressed adolescents in primary care settings. Before treatments can be properly implemented and practiced, they must first undergo numerous rounds of rigorous testing. The first step often begins with a pilot study, which explores the preliminary effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of Cunningham et al BMC Pediatr (2021) 21:475 treatments [2]. Acceptability in particular, is a key factor when designing and evaluating the success of treatment implementation, and is a strong predictor of patient satisfaction and trust, adherence, and health outcomes [3,4,5]. Acceptability provides insight as to the appropriateness of a new treatment for a target population and predicts treatment utilization in clinical practice [7,8,9]
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