Abstract

Background

Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to developing mental health problems, and rates of mental health disorder in this age group have increased in the last decade. Preventing mental health problems developing before they become entrenched, particularly in adolescents who are at high risk, is an important research and clinical target. Here, we report the protocol for the trial of the ‘Building Resilience through Socioemotional Training’ (ReSET) intervention. ReSET is a new, preventative intervention that incorporates individual-based emotional training techniques and group-based social and communication skills training. We take a transdiagnostic approach, focusing on emotion processing and social mechanisms implicated in the onset and maintenance of various forms of psychopathology.

Methods

A cluster randomised allocation design is adopted with randomisation at the school year level. Five-hundred and forty adolescents (aged 12–14) will be randomised to either receive the intervention or not (passive control). The intervention is comprised of weekly sessions over an 8-week period, supplemented by two individual sessions. The primary outcomes, psychopathology symptoms and mental wellbeing, will be assessed pre- and post-intervention, and at a 1-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes are task-based assessments of emotion processing, social network data based on peer nominations, and subjective ratings of social relationships. These measures will be taken at baseline, post-intervention and 1-year follow-up. A subgroup of participants and stakeholders will be invited to take part in focus groups to assess the acceptability of the intervention.

Discussion

This project adopts a theory-based approach to the development of a new intervention designed to target the close connections between young people’s emotions and their interpersonal relationships. By embedding the intervention within a school setting and using a cluster-randomised design, we aim to develop and test a feasible, scalable intervention to prevent the onset of psychopathology in adolescence.

Trial registration

ISRCTN88585916. Trial registration date: 20/04/2023.

Details

Title
Trial protocol for the Building Resilience through Socio-Emotional Training (ReSET) programme: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a new transdiagnostic preventative intervention for adolescents
Author
Viding, Essi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lloyd, Alex 1 ; Law, Roslyn 2 ; Martin, Peter 3 ; Lucas, Laura 1 ; Wu, Tom Chin-Han 1 ; Steinbeis, Nikolaus 1 ; Midgley, Nick 2 ; Veenstra, René 4 ; Smith, Jaime 2 ; Ly, Lili 2 ; Bird, Geoffrey 5 ; Murphy, Jennifer 6 ; Plans, David 6 ; Munafo, Marcus 7 ; Penton-Voak, Ian 8 ; Deighton, Jessica 9 ; Richards, Kathleen 10 ; Richards, Mya 10 ; Fearon, Pasco 11 

1  University College London, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, London, UK (GRID:grid.83440.3b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1201) 
2  Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK (GRID:grid.466510.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 0423 5990) 
3  University College London, Applied Health Research Institute of Epidemiology & Health, London, UK (GRID:grid.83440.3b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1201) 
4  University of Groningen, Department of Sociology, Groningen, Germany (GRID:grid.466510.0) 
5  University of Oxford, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford, UK (GRID:grid.4991.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8948); Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, London, UK (GRID:grid.13097.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 2322 6764) 
6  Royal Holloway, University of London, Department of Psychology, London, UK (GRID:grid.4970.a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2188 881X) 
7  MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK (GRID:grid.5337.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7603); University of Bristol, School of Psychological Science, Bristol, UK (GRID:grid.5337.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7603) 
8  University of Bristol, School of Psychological Science, Bristol, UK (GRID:grid.5337.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7603) 
9  University College London, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, London, UK (GRID:grid.83440.3b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1201); Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK (GRID:grid.466510.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 0423 5990) 
10  London, UK (GRID:grid.466510.0) 
11  University College London, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, London, UK (GRID:grid.83440.3b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1201); University of Cambridge, Centre for Family Research, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK (GRID:grid.5335.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2188 5934) 
Pages
143
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Dec 2024
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
17456215
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-07931-2
ProQuest document ID
2931051885
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.