SPARX-UK: Developing precision computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for adolescent depression

Summary

Each year more young people are diagnosed with depression, so it’s important we find better ways to help young people. Many young people with depression do not enjoy cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) leading to them disengaging, or they simply cannot access timely therapy due to long NHS waiting lists.

In New Zealand, a team developed a computer game called SPARX to increase young people’s access to support and to make it more engaging, which has shown positive results. We now want to see whether SPARX may be helpful for young people in the UK. We also want to look at whether giving additional online support via a human coach and offering young people personalisation choices whilst playing the game means they will find SPARX more engaging.

To understand this, we want to compare young people not using SPARX with young people using the original version of SPARX to those using SPARX, plus the personalisation options and with the human coach. To do this, we are conducting a pilot and feasibility trial, which is an opportunity to learn and make changes before completing a larger study with more young people.

Researchers will assess the likelihood of recruitment and how we collect data, as well as if participants liked the intervention. The NIHR BioResource will play an important role by providing a platform to recruit and engage with a range of adolescents. This resource will help researchers identify suitable participants for the trial and gather valuable health data to better understand what can contribute to depression in young people. The SPARX-UK trial has the potential to benefit adolescents with mild to moderate depression by offering a new and accessible therapy option. If successful, it could lead to better, more engaging, interventions for this age group, improving their mental health and overall wellbeing. 

Participants

Seeking 120 male and female participants (aged 11-19 years) with a diagnosis of mild depression and access to the internet via a smartphone or computer. Participants (and their parent/guardian) will be asked to attend 3 online study appointments with the research team each lasting ~1 hour separated by 4 weeks. Participants completing all 3 study visits will receive a £60 Amazon voucher.

Participants 11-15 years will be recruited from the 'DNA, Children+ Young People's Health Resource' (D-CYHR). Participants 16-19 years will be recruited from the Mental Health BioResource (link).