Digital support for young people with their mood and well-being
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Digital support for young people with their mood and well-being [Further development and feasibility trial of a digital programme for adolescent depression]
IRAS ID
257222
Contact name
Rhys Bevan Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, months, days
Research summary
Background
Depression is common in young people, and guidelines stress the need for good information and psychological/talking and social therapies, backed by strong evidence. As part of a National Institute for Health Research(NIHR)/Health and Care Research Wales(HCRW) doctoral fellowship, we developed a digital programme with young people to support their mood and well-being. This aims to engage and to promote self-help, help-seeking where appropriate, and social support.Aims
This project aims to develop further and test the digital programme MoodHwb, to support young people with, or at elevated risk of, depression and their families/carers, friends and professionals – as part of a NIHR/HCRW Post Doctoral Fellowship. This work will help ensure that it is closer to being rolled-out in health, education, youth and social services/charities.Design/methods
The protocol will follow Medical Research Council guidelines for evaluating treatments. During the initial stage, we will i) update a review of relevant research and practice, ii) hold workshops with the digital company to update the programme content/design, iii) interview young people for their views on the changes. Young people, parents/carers and professionals will advise on the study process (e.g. recruitment) through steering groups and other meetings.We will then recruit young people with depressive difficulties from school nurses/counsellors, primary mental health and youth services, and charities. Participants will be assigned randomly to use the digital programme or digital health information sheets (all will also continue with their usual treatment). The young people (and their families/carers) will complete questionnaires about their mood and behaviour at the start of the study, and again after 2 and 6 months. Some will also be interviewed and there will be a focus group for professionals to discuss the programme and study.
During the final stage, the programme will be improved based on these findings, and we will plan the next stage of the research.
REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
21/WA/0205
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jul 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion