Study 1: Screening Wizard
A screening decision support tool to aid physicians in making initial treatment recommendations for adolescents with depression or suicidal ideation. It gathers information to closely reflect patient and family needs and preferences. The primary care providers will be able to use the results of the screening as talking points and make an optimal referral of recommended level of care.
Phase I:
In Phase I of Screening Wizard, 50 participants were recruited for the study. Half were assigned regular treatment as usual (TAU) for a baseline, while the other half were assigned the intervention condition in which they were cared for with the utilization of the Screening Wizard program. The goal of Phase I was to receive feedback from patients and their families about their satisfaction with the tool, as well as to assess the feasibility, success, and impact of the Screening Wizard.
Phase II:
Phase II of the Screening Wizard study incorporates a third participant condition. 100 participants, all pairs of youth and parents, will be randomly assigned TAU, Screening Wizard, or Screening Wizard with the SOVA website, a moderated support tool that compliments the Screening Wizard by further aiding clinicians and reducing barriers to proper mental health treatment.
Study 2: Text2Connect
A personalized text messaging intervention to increase depressed and/or suicidal adolescents’ attendance to embedded mental health treatment. This convenient intervention will enhance patients’ understanding of their depression, alter negative mental health beliefs, and reinforce treatment intentions and commitment to treatment goals.
Phase I:
In Phase I of Text2Connect, 50 participants were recruited; half were assigned the treatment as usual (TAU) baseline condition, while the other half were assigned the Text2Connect intervention tool. Participants in the experimental condition used the app for the duration of the study. They received texts including tools to increase their knowledge of mental health concepts, facilitate learning of coping skills, etc. with the overall goal to encourage attendance to mental health treatment. The participants then rated their satisfaction with the app, as well as its usability and effect on any mental health symptoms. The feedback from participants and overall data collected was used to redesign the app for Phase II.
Phase II:
Phase II of Text2Connect features a remodeling of the program. The new version focuses on the college-age transition of leaving high school, moving out of parents' home, going to college, etc. This version aims to maximize mental heath self-efficacy while minimizing the mental health difficulties associated with this transition into a more independent lifestyle. The 50 college-age participants enrolled in Phase II, again half of which who will utilize Text2Connect while the other half provides a baseline, will offer further insight on the app's success at mitigating stress during the college-age transition. The app uses similar tools as before, including videos to educate about mental health concepts, skills to cope with stress, and tools to increase awareness of one's current mental state.
Phase I: Phase II:
Study 3: BRITEPath
A provider-supported safety planning and emotion regulation app for embedded therapists treating depressed and/or suicidal adolescents. This intervention will provide an opportunity for therapists to learn new skills in using technology to develop a safety plan and will offer a clinician dashboard to track use of the app and symptoms to monitor patient progress.
Phase I:
BRITEPath Phase I aims to collect baseline information from the randomized group of participants who receive treatment as usual (TAU), as well as preliminary feedback and data from the other group of participants who use the BRITEPath intervention for the duration of Phase I. Phase I includes the BRITE app, a tool that utilizes daily distress ratings, coping skills, and immediate access to their safety plan for the youth, the BRITEBoard dashboard tool, which gives clinicians access to the youth's important information, and the Guide2BRITE, a comprehensive education tool to teach clinicians about the emotion regulation, safety planning, and distress tolerance skills within the BRITE app. Participants, clinicians, and parents all complete questionnaires and interviews to assess the feasibility, utility, and acceptability of the BRITEPath intervention to inform the redesign process.
Phase II:
Phase II of the BRITEPath study will feature 100 participants testing the redesigned BRITEPath platform. Half the participants will receive TAU, and the other half will test the BRITEPath intervention. Feedback from interviews and questionnaires will provide futher insight into the effectiveness of the BRITEPath platform to reduce suicidality, depressive or distress symptoms in youth mental health patients, and emergency clinical visits, as well as increase satisfaction in its users.