Ehimwenma W Isa1, Cornelius Ani2, Tolulope Bella-Awusah3, Olayinka Omigbodun3. 1. a Child and Adolescent Unit , Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital , Benin City , Nigeria. 2. b Centre for Mental Health , Imperial College , London , UK. 3. c Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health , University of Ibadan , Ibadan , Nigeria.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Limited data exists on psychological interventions for adolescent depression in African countries such as Nigeria. This study therefore investigates the effects of a psychological intervention that includes psycho-education and basic elements of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on depressed medication-treated adolescents in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a pre-post one-group intervention study of 18 adolescents aged 13-18 years with clinically diagnosed depressive disorder, attending a specialist psychiatric hospital. They had been on antidepressants for 3 months or longer. Depressive symptoms, knowledge of depression, hope, and attitudes towards treatment adherence were measured at baseline and repeated at 1 and 4 weeks post-intervention. The adolescents received four sessions of a group-based manualised intervention focused on psycho-education and basic CBT strategies. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms were recorded, as were improvements in the adolescents' knowledge of depression, hope, and attitude towards treatment adherence one week after the intervention (all p = 0.001). All differences were sustained at 4 weeks post-intervention. Participants' satisfaction with the intervention was high. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that adding psycho-education with elements of CBT to antidepressant treatment is feasible, acceptable and can produce further benefits to depressed adolescents in this region.
OBJECTIVE: Limited data exists on psychological interventions for adolescent depression in African countries such as Nigeria. This study therefore investigates the effects of a psychological intervention that includes psycho-education and basic elements of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on depressed medication-treated adolescents in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a pre-post one-group intervention study of 18 adolescents aged 13-18 years with clinically diagnosed depressive disorder, attending a specialist psychiatric hospital. They had been on antidepressants for 3 months or longer. Depressive symptoms, knowledge of depression, hope, and attitudes towards treatment adherence were measured at baseline and repeated at 1 and 4 weeks post-intervention. The adolescents received four sessions of a group-based manualised intervention focused on psycho-education and basic CBT strategies. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms were recorded, as were improvements in the adolescents' knowledge of depression, hope, and attitude towards treatment adherence one week after the intervention (all p = 0.001). All differences were sustained at 4 weeks post-intervention. Participants' satisfaction with the intervention was high. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that adding psycho-education with elements of CBT to antidepressant treatment is feasible, acceptable and can produce further benefits to depressed adolescents in this region.
Authors: Bradley H Wagenaar; Wilson H Hammett; Courtney Jackson; Dana L Atkins; Jennifer M Belus; Christopher G Kemp Journal: Glob Ment Health (Camb) Date: 2020-03-02
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