Reducing Health Risk Behavior and Improving Health in Adolescents With Depression

Depression is a common disorder among adolescents. If left untreated, it can cause
significant disability, illness, and even death. Teens with depression often engage in risky
health behaviors, such as smoking, drug and alcohol use, unprotected sex, and unhealthy
eating and exercise patterns. By reducing these health risk behaviors, depressed adolescents
may be able to avoid negative health consequences and improve their physical and mental
health. This study will determine the effectiveness of a health education intervention in
reducing risky health behaviors in adolescents with depression.

Participants in this study will be invited to enroll during a visit to a participating
primary care clinic. Participants will be randomly assigned to either partake in a health
education intervention or receive standard care. Both groups will continue to receive
treatment through their primary care clinic. Those participants receiving standard care will
be referred to special programs as needed to reduce their involvement in risky health
behaviors. Participants assigned to the health education intervention will attend 10 weekly
education sessions that will be led by trained health educators. Parents or guardians may be
asked to attend sessions depending on their interest in the intervention and the age of the
youth participant. Topics covered will include teenage smoking, alcohol and drug abuse,
risky sexual behaviors, and obesity. Cognitive-behavioral strategies, role playing, and
media clips will be used to stimulate discussion and involvement in the intervention. The
intervention will be tailored to target the specific risky behaviors in which each
participant engages. Motivational interviewing will also be used to build positive attitudes
to support behavior change. All participants will attend follow-up visits to assess behavior
change at Months 6 and 12 following study entry.

Inclusion Criteria:

- CIDI diagnosis of major depression or probable depression based on youth self report

- Availability of a family member to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

- Lacks contact information (e.g., address, telephone number)

- Any functioning deficits or other characteristics that might interfere with study
participation

- Currently in a living situation that might interfere with study participation (e.g.,
lives over 1 hour away from the study site)

- Lacks family available to participate in the intervention

- Mental retardation

- Does not speak English or Spanish