Treating childhood depression over videoconferencing

Abstract

Effective cognitive-behavioral treatments for childhood depression have developed over the last decade, but many families face barriers to such care. Telemedicine increases access to psychological interventions by linking the child and the clinician using videoconferencing (VC). The current study evaluated an 8-week, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for childhood depression either face-to-face (F2F) or over VC. The telemedicine setup included two PC-based PictureTel systems at 128 kilibits per second (kbps). Success was defined by (1) decreasing depressive symptoms at similar rates in both the VC group and the F2F group and (2) demonstrating the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial in telemental health. Children were assessed for childhood depression using the mood section of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present Episode (K-SADS-P). Twenty-eight children were randomized to either F2F or VC treatment. The participants completed the K-SADS-P and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) at pre- and post-treatment. The CBT treatment across the two conditions was effective. The overall response rate based on post-evaluation with the K-SADS-P was 82%. For the CDI total score, both the Time and the Group by Time effects were significant (p < 0.05). The interaction effect reflected a faster rate of decline in the CDI total score for the VC group. The study serves as a model for building on past research to implement a randomized controlled trial. This information provides persuasive research data concerning treatment effectiveness for clinicians, families, and funders.