Stepwise school program to help teens with depression in Pakistan
School based stepped care TrEatment for adolescent depression in Pakistan- a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART-STEP)
This project offers a stepped school program combining online teacher training and a CBT-based chatbot to help Pakistani adolescents with depression and anxiety.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Shifa Tameer-E-Millat University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Islamabad, Pakistan) |
| Project ID | NIH-11137660 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You and other students in participating public schools would get access to school-based supports: teachers receive online training to recognize and respond to common mental health problems, and students with symptoms can use a self-help chatbot based on cognitive behavioral therapy. The program uses a SMART (adaptive) design that changes the next step of care for young people who do not improve, so treatment is personalized over time. The team built the program from earlier pilots of the teacher training (eSMHP) and the STARS chatbot and will test how to best combine and sequence these supports across schools. The work is run through the SHINE network with implementation in Pakistani public schools.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Teenagers enrolled in participating low-resource public schools in Pakistan who are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Students with severe mental illness needing urgent psychiatric care, those not attending school, or those without access to a smartphone/internet may not benefit from this school-based digital approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could expand accessible, school-based mental health support and reduce depression and anxiety among adolescents in Pakistan.
How similar studies have performed: Early pilot work showed the online teacher training and the CBT chatbot are feasible and promising, but using a stepped SMART design to personalize school-based care is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Islamabad, Pakistan
- Shifa Tameer-E-Millat University — Islamabad, Pakistan (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hamdani, Syed Usman — Shifa Tameer-E-Millat University
- Study coordinator: Hamdani, Syed Usman
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.