The Efficacy of Treating Adolescent Depression with Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents(IPT-A) in the School Setting

Depression affects the lives of an estimated 2 to 8% of adolescents in the United States. This disturbance of mood impacts many facets of the individual's life, including the ability to participate in and benefit from educational experiences. School psychologists are challenged to find effective treatments for adolescents experiencing depression that can be delivered in a school setting. Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A; Mufson, Dorta, Moreau, & Weissman, 2004) has been found effective for adolescents in clinical settings as well as in urban, school-based clinics. Its use as an efficacious treatment with adolescent students in a traditional public school setting needs to be examined. The current study used a multiple-baseline design to measure the progress of four depressed adolescents in a public school setting with IPT-A treatment. Data was collected prior to intervention, weekly during intervention, after the intervention, and approximately three months later for follow-up. The adolescents, a parent, and a teacher responded to the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) rating scale before intervention, post-intervention, and at follow-up. The adolescents also responded to the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992) and a researcher-created rating to assess mood and social interaction. Each was administered on a weekly basis. Results indicated significant reduction in reported depressive symptoms, confirmation of IPT-A as an efficacious treatment for adolescent depression in the public school setting.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2009

Author dc:creator

• Pasquinelli, Steven

Contributors dc:contributor

• Tammy Hughes
• Kara McGoey
• Jeffrey Miller

• Depression
• Adolescents
• IPT-A
• Interpersonal
• Treatment
• Schools

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1024

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-2040