Efficacy of unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in adolescents (UP-A) in China: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction Emotional disorders are highly prevalent among adolescents, with a high rate of comorbidity. Convenient and effective treatment options are needed to reduce costs and improve effectiveness. The unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in adolescents (UP-A) is an evidence-based transdiagnostic approach aimed at ameliorate emotional symptoms. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of the UP-A in Chinese adolescents with emotional disorders using multidimensional evaluations. Methods and analysis This study is a two-armed, randomised controlled trial on the efficacy of 12 week UPA on adolescents with emotional disorders along with their parents. Forty-eight participants will be randomly assigned to either the treatment as usual (TAU) group or the TAU combined with UP-A (UP-A+TAU) group. We will evaluate the efficacy of the UP-A, through the following primary and secondary outcomes: emotional disorder severity, emotional symptoms, emotion regulation, cognitive patterns, executive function, resilience, quality of life, social and family functioning. Participants will be assessed at baseline (T1), week 4 (T2), week 8 (T3), post-treatment (T4) and 3 month follow-up (T5). Discussion This protocol outlines the first randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of the UP-A among Chinese adolescents with emotional disorders. The findings may contribute to providing an effective and feasible transdiagnostic intervention in Chinese clinical settings. Ethics and dissemination This trial has been approved by the Ethics and Clinical Research Committees of Peking University Sixth Hospital and will be performed under the Declaration of Helsinki with the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act (WMO). The results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal and a conference presentation.