Long-Term Effects of the Family Check-Up in Public Secondary School on Diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder in Adulthood

Long-term Effects of the Family Check-Up on Suicidality in Childhood and Adolescence: Integrative Data Analysis of Three Randomized Trials

This study employed integrative data analysis techniques to examine the long-term effects of the family check-up (FCU) on changes in youth suicide risk using three randomized prevention trials, including one trial initiated in early childhood and two initiated in early adolescence. Data were harmonized across studies using moderated nonlinear factor analysis, and intervention effects were tested using an autoregressive latent trajectory model examining changes in suicide risk across long-term follow-up. Across trials, significant long-term effects of the FCU on reductions in suicide risk were observed, although differences between intervention and control group trajectories declined over time. No moderation of intervention effects was observed by youth gender or race/ethnicity or across samples. While results offer further support for the benefits of the FCU for suicide risk reduction, they also suggest that such effects may wane over time, underscoring the need for continued development of the FCU to enhance longer-term durability of effects on suicide-related behaviors.

Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a New Online Self-Help Intervention for Depression among Korean College Students' Families

Applying innovative online approaches to interventions for preventing depression is necessary. Since depressive emotions are typically shared within the family, the development of interventions involving family members is critical. This study thus aimed to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a new online self-help intervention, MindGuide, among Korean college students’ families. We developed MindGuide, which integrates cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness and an emotional regulation approach. A one-group pretest–posttest design was used to measure the changes in the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Attitude Toward Suicide scale, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale before and after the intervention. Of the 34 families that began the program, completion rates were 88.2%, 85.3%, and 91.2% for fathers, mothers, and children, respectively. The findings indicated that the MindGuide program is feasible and acceptable for families of Korean college students. The results support the potential effect of MindGuide on reducing depression, improving positive attitudes toward suicide prevention, and enhancing family relationships in participants at risk of depression. However, future research is needed to thoroughly explore and evaluate the efficacy of the MindGuide program.

Universal and Selective Interventions to Prevent Poor Mental Health Outcomes in Young People: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Much is not known about the efficacy of interventions to prevent poor mental health outcomes in young people by targeting either the general population (universal prevention) or asymptomatic individuals with high risk of developing a mental disorder (selective prevention).

METHODS

We conducted a PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of Web of Science to identify studies comparing post-test efficacy (effect size [ES]; Hedges' g) of universal or selective interventions for poor mental health outcomes versus control groups, in samples with mean age <35 years (PROSPERO: CRD42018102143). Measurements included random-effects models, I2 statistics, publication bias, meta-regression, sensitivity analyses, quality assessments, number needed to treat, and population impact number.

RESULTS

295 articles (447,206 individuals; mean age = 15.4) appraising 17 poor mental health outcomes were included. Compared to control conditions, universal and selective interventions improved (in descending magnitude order) interpersonal violence, general psychological distress, alcohol use, anxiety features, affective symptoms, other emotional and behavioral problems, consequences of alcohol use, posttraumatic stress disorder features, conduct problems, tobacco use, externalizing behaviors, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder features, and cannabis use, but not eating-related problems, impaired functioning, internalizing behavior, or sleep-related problems. Psychoeducation had the highest effect size for ADHD features, affective symptoms, and interpersonal violence. Psychotherapy had the highest effect size for anxiety features.

CONCLUSION

Universal and selective preventive interventions for young individuals are feasible and can improve poor mental health outcomes.

Genetic moderation of the effects of the Family Check-Up intervention on children's internalizing symptoms: A longitudinal study with a racially/ethnically diverse sample

Development involves synergistic interplay among genotypes and the physical and cultural environments, and integrating genetics into experimental designs that manipulate the environment can improve understanding of developmental psychopathology and intervention efficacy. Consistent with differential susceptibility theory, individuals can vary in their sensitivity to environmental conditions including intervention for reasons including their genotype. As a consequence, understanding genetic influences on intervention response is critical. Empirically, we tested an interaction between a genetic index representing sensitivity to the environment and the Family Check-Up intervention. Participants were drawn from the Early Steps Multisite randomized prevention trial that included a low-income and racially/ethnically diverse sample of children and their families followed longitudinally (n = 515). As hypothesized, polygenic sensitivity to the environment moderated the effects of the intervention on 10-year-old children's symptoms of internalizing psychopathology, such that children who were genetically sensitive and were randomly assigned to the intervention had fewer symptoms of child psychopathology than genetically sensitive children assigned to the control condition. A significant difference in internalizing symptoms assessed with a clinical interview emerged between the intervention and control groups for those 0.493 SD above the mean on polygenic sensitivity, or 25% of the sample. Similar to personalized medicine, it is time to understand individual and sociocultural differences in treatment response and individualize psychosocial interventions to reduce the burden of child psychopathology and maximize well-being for children growing up in a wide range of physical environments and cultures.