Predictors of Response to Treatment for Depression

Neurophysiological measures (i.e., event-related potentials) of reward responsiveness and
regulation of mood-congruent, sad stimuli will be assessed in a sample of adolescents with
depression prior to group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT will follow the Adolescent
Coping with Depression Course, an established 16-session group treatment protocol, and
consist of behavioral activation, relaxation skills, cognitive therapy, social skills,
problem solving, and relapse prevention. Changes in symptoms will be monitored through
biweekly self-report and clinician ratings to examine prediction of change in symptoms across
CBT. Baseline individual differences in reward responsiveness and emotion regulation will be
evaluated as predictors of change in self-reported symptoms and clinician-rated improvement
following CBT.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Participants presenting with major depressive or persistent depressive disorder and
moderate severity on the Clinical Global Impressions scale.

- Participants may have comorbid externalizing or anxiety disorders.

- Participants (and parents of minors) fluent in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Youth with history of treatment for substance use disorders.

- Youth with intellectual or developmental disabilities (e.g., autism spectrum
disorders, pervasive developmental disorders).

- Youth with lifetime schizophrenia, psychosis, or mania.

- Youth with severe current suicidality.

- Youth taking antipsychotic medications or mood stabilizers.

- Youth with recent changes in dosage of antidepressant (adolescents with change in
dosage in past 30 days who otherwise meet study criteria will be asked to begin the
study once dosage has been stable for 30 days).

- Parent or child not fluent in English.

- Youth who are unable to complete study procedures because of visual or hearing
impairments.

- Youth who have recently started outside therapy (past 30 days at time of intake), are
engaged in treatment that is determined to be too similar to study therapy (e.g, other
CBT groups), or are currently in treatment that is too intensive to allow for
participation in study therapy (e.g., partial hospitalization programs)