[Not Available].

Pilot Study on the Feasibility and Effectiveness of IPT-A for the Outpatient Treatment of Depression at a German Healthcare Clinic Abstract:

Introduction

Depression in adolescence is highly prevalent and requires effective treatment approaches. Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) has proved effective internationally, but data from German clinical settings are lacking. This pilot study aimed to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the German version of IPT-A for adolescents with depression.

Methods

Twenty-four outpatients (17 female, 7 male) aged 12 - 18 years (M = 15.96, SD = 1.66) with a primary diagnosis of depression received 12 - 16 sessions of IPT-A. We assessed feasibility via dropout rate. The primary outcome measure was the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R), assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up. Additionally, questionnaires were included (Beck Depression Inventory II [BDI-II], Global Assessment of Functioning Scale [GAF], Conflict Behavior Questionnaire [CBQ-20]).

Results

The dropout rate was 25 %. Depressive symptoms, as measured by the CDRS-R, decreased significantly over time with a large effect size, and reductions were maintained at the 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that IPT-A is feasible in the German clinical care context and can reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents. Further research with larger samples and randomized controlled designs is needed to confirm these results and to investigate treatment mechanisms in more detail.