The effect of a depression prevention program on negative cognitive style trajectories in early adolescents

Abstract

As restructuring a negative cognitive style is a central skill taught in many depression prevention programs, we tested whether a universal prevention program evoked a change in negative cognitive style in adolescents. In addition, we examined distinct developmental trajectories of negative cognitive styles and assessed whether research condition (intervention versus control) predicted these trajectories. Young adolescents (n = 1343; Mean age = 13.4 years; SD = 0.77; 52.3% girls) were randomly allocated to a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based depression prevention program or a care as usual control condition. A negative cognitive style was assessed at baseline, post-treatment and 6- and 12-months follow-up. Adolescents who received the intervention did not differ in their negative cognitive style from the control group at any time-point. We found four distinctive trajectories of negative cognitive style: normative, increasing, decreasing and stable high, which were not predicted by intervention condition and were not moderated by gender. Yet, the results revealed a trend, which indicated that adolescents who followed the program tended to show an increasing than a normative developmental pattern. We concluded that the CBT-based depression prevention program did not reduce or prevent an increase in negative cognitive style.