Character Strengths Intervention Among Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youth

NCT02674932 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HUM00107976
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 153
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Research has shown that identifying and using one's character strengths in new ways decreases depressive symptoms and increases happiness in adults in the general population. Recently, we found that a similar intervention increases the self-esteem and self-efficacy of children and adolescents being treated in an inpatient psychiatric unit. The purpose of this study is to better understand the effects that discovering one's character strengths and incorporating them into coping skills will have on treatment outcomes in patients admitted to a child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit.

Conditions

Psychiatric Hospitalization; Mental Disorders; Child/Adolescent Problems

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in depression symptoms over time compared to baseline

  Depression will be measured using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) for adolescents, and percent change in depression score will be compared across the 3 arms.

  baseline, 3 days, 1 month, 3 months

• Change in anxiety symptoms over time compared to baseline

  Anxiety will be measured using the 5-item Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and percent change in anxiety score will be compared across the 3 arms.

  baseline, 3 days, 1 month, 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change in self-esteem over time compared to baseline

  baseline, 3 days, 1 month, 3 months

• Change in self-efficacy over time compared to baseline

  baseline, 3 days, 1 month, 3 months

• Change in resiliency over time compared to baseline

  baseline, 3 days, 1 month, 3 months

• Change in life-satisfaction over time compared to baseline

  baseline, 3 days, 1 month, 3 months

Study Arms (3)

Signature Strengths

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients will complete the Values in Action Youth Survey (VIA-Youth) and will receive a list of his/her top character strengths ("signature strengths"). The patient will then participate in the Identifying and Using Signature Strengths Intervention.

Behavioral: Identifying and Using Signature Strengths

Coping Skills + Memory Aid

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients will complete the VIA-Youth but will not receive any results. The patient will then participate in the Identifying and Writing Down Coping Skills Intervention.

Behavioral: Identifying and Writing Down Coping Skills

Coping Skills (Treatment as Usual)

OTHER

Patients will complete the VIA-Youth but will not receive any results. After completing the VIA-Youth, the study team member and patient will have a treatment-as-usual discussion about coping skills. (This is equivalent to treatment as usual that is already provided on the psychiatric unit-doctors and nurses on the unit already have this a discussion about coping skills with patients).

Behavioral: Treatment as Usual

Interventions

Identifying and Using Signature Strengths BEHAVIORAL

The purpose of the intervention is to identify and focus on one's morally valued strengths and utilize them (i.e. incorporate them into coping skills) to overcome challenges. The study team member and patient will discuss each top strength and ways to use them as coping skills. The patient will identify 2-4 coping mechanisms per strength, and will write his/her strengths and self-identified coping skills on index cards.

Signature Strengths

Identifying and Writing Down Coping Skills BEHAVIORAL

The study team member and patient will discuss the importance of having coping skills to deal with stressful and difficult situations. The patient will then identify at least six coping skills and write them down on index cards.

Coping Skills + Memory Aid

Treatment as Usual BEHAVIORAL

The study team member and patient will discuss the importance of having coping skills to deal with stressful and difficult situations. The patient will then identify coping skills that could be helpful (but will not write them down).

Coping Skills (Treatment as Usual)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Patient on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit

You may not qualify if:

• Cognitive disability or severe psychosis preventing understanding of survey measures
• Prior use of VIA-Youth Survey
• Absence of legal guardian to consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Michigan: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Mental Disorders

Interventions

Therapeutics

Study Officials

• Paresh D Patel, MD, PhD

  Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2016
• First Posted: February 5, 2016
• Study Start: February 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2017
• Study Completion: December 1, 2017
• Last Updated: September 3, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share