Abstract
BackgroundDepression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability in young people, with approximately 20% having experienced a depressive episode by the age of 18 years. Behavioral activation (BA), a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence–recommended treatment for adults with depression, has shown preliminary support for its use with young people. BA may have the potential to be adapted and delivered in a computerized format to address the barriers often associated with young people accessing support. Despite the benefits of adopting computerized therapy delivery, the limited effectiveness of some programs has been attributed to a failure to tailor interventions to patients and practices. Therefore, while developing new treatments, it is important that target users be involved in the intervention design.ObjectiveThis qualitative study aims to explore the views and preferences of young people and health care professionals regarding the development of a new computerized BA therapy for young people with low mood or depression, to ensure that the therapy was suitable for the target user.MethodsSemistructured focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with young people (those with experience in accessing support and those without) and health care professionals regarding the development of a new computerized BA therapy for young people with low mood or depression. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 27 individuals, comprising both health care professionals and young people, participated in this study. Vital information pertaining to the important components of a new therapy, including its presentation, delivery, and content, was collected.ConclusionsVariations in perspectives highlighted the need to adopt a systemic approach in therapy development by considering the opinions of young people with and without experience in accessing mental health support and health care professionals.
Highlights
Approximately 20% of young people experience at least one depressive episode by the age of 18 years [1], making depression one of the leading causes of illness and disability in this group [2]
Semistructured focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with young people and health care professionals regarding the development of a new computerized Behavioral activation (BA) therapy for young people with low mood or depression
Much attention has been placed on computerized delivery of therapy, in particular cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) [6,7,8], which removes some of these barriers
Summary
Background Approximately 20% of young people experience at least one depressive episode by the age of 18 years [1], making depression one of the leading causes of illness and disability in this group [2]. Given its demonstrated effectiveness and simple delivery, BA may have the potential to be adapted for use with young people and delivered in a computerized format. Despite the evident benefits of adopting a computerized approach to therapy delivery, including increasing therapy accessibility, availability [15], and anonymity [16]; reducing stigmatization [17]; and providing those reluctant to engage one-to-one with a therapist with access to care [18], the limited effectiveness of some programs has been attributed to a failure to tailor interventions to patients and practices [19,20]. Behavioral activation (BA), a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence–recommended treatment for adults with depression, has shown preliminary support for its use with young people. While developing new treatments, it is important that target users be involved in the intervention design
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