N/A
N=29
Engaging Black Youth in Depression and Suicide Prevention Treatment Within Urban Schools
Depression · Suicidal Ideation
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03940508 ↗Enrolled (actual)
29
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Sep 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale — 36.84; 40.90 units on a scale
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Making Connections Intervention (Behavioral); IPT-A (Behavioral)
- Age
- Pediatric, Adult · 12+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- New York University
- Primary completion
- Dec 2023
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale |
36.84; 40.90 | — |
| PRIMARY Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression |
14.47; 16.60 | — |
| PRIMARY Demographic Form |
17; 9; 2; 1; 13; 10 | — |
| PRIMARY Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale |
0.94; 1.1 | — |
| PRIMARY Barriers for Adolescents Seeking Health |
62.52; 66.5 | — |
| PRIMARY Child Help-Seeking Scale |
38.68; 39.6; 16.78; 16.44 | — |
| PRIMARY Attitudes Toward Psychological Help Scale |
6.21; 6.8 | — |
| PRIMARY Stages of Change |
9.78; 9.8; 13.05; 13.5; 15.26; 14.5 | — |
| PRIMARY Barriers to Treatment Participation Scale |
64.6; 54.14; 35.06; 27.28; 16.46; 13.42 | — |
| PRIMARY Understanding Mood Disorders Questionnaire |
18.73; 17 | — |
| PRIMARY Therapy Survey |
14.8; 12.14 | — |
| PRIMARY Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior |
25.68; 29.3 | — |
| PRIMARY Global Assessment Scale for Children |
57.84; 53.7 | — |
| PRIMARY Interpersonal Needs |
51.26; 61.5 | — |
| PRIMARY Penn Helping Alliance Revised |
30.87; 29.2 | — |
Summary
Completing evidence-based treatments for depression has been shown to be particularly problematic for Black adolescents. If Black adolescents' depression treatment needs are to be met, the engagement challenges and the factors that lessen the success of treatment in the "real world" must be addressed. The investigators will examine the effectiveness of the Making Connections Intervention (MCI) and investigate key mediators of both engagement and response to treatment for depression. The MCI is a 1-2 session, evidence-based intervention designed to improve engagement, perceived relevance, and treatment satisfaction among depressed, Black adolescents. The study also uses tailored outreach strategies for adolescents and parents by including innovative digital content such as a web page/app along with other digital products.
This study will address an important public health issue: How best to connect Black adolescents with depression to treatment in clinically meaningful ways, and how best to deliver evidence-based treatment to them through school-based services.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Must identify as Black and/or African American
- Must be enrolled in grades 6-12 (except 12th graders in their last semester)
- Must be able to speak English
- Must have received caregiver consent and have assented to participate
- Must meet depression and global functioning levels indicated by a CES-D score ≥16, a Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) Score ≥ 10, and a Global Assessment Scale for Children (C-GAS) score ≤ 65 at baseline
- Students who are currently on a stable dose of anti-depressant medication, but still meet inclusion criteria, can be enrolled in the study.
Exclusion Criteria
- Actively suicidal with intent or plan
- Intellectually disabled
- Have a life threatening medical illness
- Have a current primary substance abuse diagnosis in the moderate to severe range, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, any evidence of psychosis, a primary diagnosis of anorexia
- Currently in active treatment for depression (excluding medication) at baseline assessment
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03940508). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.