Preventing Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: Depressive symptoms are prevalent among Chinese adolescents. However, there is a lack of effective prevention programs to reduce depressive symptoms. Methods: A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was implemented in a sample of senior secondary school adolescents. Participants in the intervention group ( N = 148) received a 6-week universal prevention course, whereas the control group ( N = 131) received a routine course focusing on career development. Results: The linear mixed models showed that the group × time interaction was significant for depressive symptoms measured by DASS-21 ( F(2, 550) = 5.72, p = .003) and marginally significant for that measured by SMFQ ( F(2, 549) = 2.41, p = .09). Likewise, the level of anxiety and stress were significantly reduced after the program, but not maintained in the follow-up. Conclusions: This pilot study showed that a universal prevention program is promising in reducing adolescent depressive symptoms.