1993/04/01 by Gregory N. Clarke, Wesley E. Hawkins, Mary Murphy +1 · 2 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Early Childhood Education and Development #Behavioral Health and Interventions
paper · doi:10.1177/074355489382004
openalex publication_date 1993/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Two school-based primary prevention interventions for adolescent depressive symptomatology and disorder were examined in separate studies with high school samples of 9th and 10th-grade adolescents. In Study 1, a three-session educational intervention was associated with a short-term reduction in extreme-scoring cases of depressive symptoms among boys, but not girls, when compared to a randomly assigned control condition. However, this effect was not sustained over a 12-week follow-up period. In Study 2, a five-session behavioral skills training intervention, failed to demonstrate any differences compared to a random control condition. Neither of the two interventions had any effect on depression knowledge, attitudes toward treatment, or actual treatment seeking. The failure of these interventions to yield long-term effects is discussed in the context of successful prevention interventions for nonneurotic problem behaviors. The authors conclude that depression may be best prevented with a competency-based intervention targeting several disorders.