African Youth in Mind (Y-MIND) - Pilot Feasibility Trial of a Brief Psychological Intervention for Older Adolescents with Depression Delivered Through Senior High Schools in Navrongo, Ghana

King's College London

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Depression Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Y-MIND Intervention; Other: Enhanced Usual Care

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06740084

HR/DP-23/24-38948

NIHR133384 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The overarching aim of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility of implementing a psychological intervention (Y-MIND), delivered by school guidance and counselling coordinators, for the treatment of depression among adolescents in senior high schools in Ghana. The study is a parallel arm cluster randomised controlled pilot trial. We will recruit adolescents aged 15 to 18 years in senior high schools. Participants will be randomised to receive the Y-MIND psychological intervention or enhanced usual care.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 15 to 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adolescents aged 15 to 18 years in senior high schools located within the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kassena-Nankana West District
• Have scored 10 or more on the locally validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
• be willing and able to be followed up for 5 months and provide informed consent or assent
• For adolescents 15-17 years participants must have 5) access to a caregiver to obtain informed consent
• All participants must have the ability to read, write and communicate in English language.

Exclusion criteria

• are currently receiving any psychological treatment (talking therapy) for any common mental disorder through formal health care services
• have active bipolar disorder or psychosis (assessed through a brief screening tool for bipolar disorder and psychosis)
• have advanced or chronic physical illness (assessed through self-report)
• have significant visual or hearing impairment which would interfere with their ability to take part in the study
• are actively suicidal (assessed through the use of a four-item screening tool administered by a psychiatric nurse and reviewed by the trial clinical psychologist

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Enhanced Usual Care

Active Comparator group

Description:

Enhanced Usual Care (EUC): Guidance and counselling coordinators in the schools provide some counselling to students who need it. Building on the existing structure, enhanced usual care in the Y-MIND programme, will be enhanced in three ways 1) Teaching staff will receive basic training on common mental health conditions affecting youth in Ghana with an emphasis on depression and suicidal symptoms and treatment. 2) Nurses in all schools and other relevant local health care professionals will be trained in mental health, substance-use and self-harm including guidelines on when and where to refer young people for psychiatric care. 3) The study team will provide a letter for the Guidance and Counselling Coordinators for the participant.

Treatment:

Other: Enhanced Usual Care

Y-MIND Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

All participants in the intervention arm will receive the EUC plus the Y-Mind intervention. Y-Mind intervention will be delivered by trained and supervised Guidance and Counselling Coordinators (GCC) at schools in 6 sessions. The six sessions will include a) psychoeducation on depression, b) behavioural activation (helping the participant see the connection between their behaviour, daily activities, and low mood and activity scheduling) and c) problem-solving therapy (the GCC helps the participant identify and define a specific problem to work on, evaluate the potential solutions to the problem, and carry out the selected solution(s)).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Y-MIND Intervention