Compassion-based family program for adolescents with depression or anxiety
Official title: Compassion-Based Family Intervention for Adolescents With Emotional Disorders and Their Parents: A Randomized Waitlist-Controlled Trial
Run by Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital · NCT07138417 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study tests a six-week compassion-based family program to see if it helps adolescents (ages 12–18) with depression or anxiety and their parents.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 12 Years to 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 60 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Hefei, Anhui) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | August 30, 2025 |
| Main results expected | June 2027 |
| Study ends | July 2027 |
| Registry record updated | September 30, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07138417 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adolescents aged 12–18 with moderate depressive or anxiety symptoms (HAMD-17 score 17–30 or HAMA score 18–29) and at least one parent willing to participate are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Individuals with psychosis, bipolar disorder, severe neurological or physical disease, substance abuse history, or parents with active mental illness are unlikely to benefit or be eligible for this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial enrolling 60 parent–adolescent dyads at the Fourth People's Hospital of Hefei. Dyads are randomly assigned to immediate intervention or a six-week waiting list, with the intervention delivered in six weekly 120-minute sessions plus daily home practice. Outcomes include self-report measures of symptoms, parenting stress, and family relationships, alongside physiological measures of parent–child synchrony using fNIRS and heart rate monitors. Assessments occur at baseline, post-intervention, and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups, with outcome assessors and data analysts blinded to allocation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms, lower parenting stress, and improve family relationships and physiological emotional synchrony.
How similar studies have gone: Compassion-focused and family-based interventions have shown benefit for adolescent anxiety and depression in prior work, but combining a family compassion program with fNIRS and heart-rate synchrony measures is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * the adolescent is aged 12-18 years * for the adolescent, required scores at enrollment: at least one of the following criteria is met (i) 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) (Hamilton, 1960) total score ≥17 and ≤30, (ii) Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) (Hamilton, 1959) total score ≥18 and ≤29; and in addition, the HAMD-17 item 3 (suicide) score must be ≤ 2 * at least one parent is willing to participate * the adolescent has normal auditory and visual perception abilities and intellectual functioning * the participating parent has normal reading and writing ability * the adolescent has no history of manic episodes Exclusion Criteria: * the adolescent presents with psychotic symptoms, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia * the parent suffers from a mental illness or psychological disorder * the adolescent or their parent has a history of substance abuse * the adolescent or their parent has a severe neurological disorder or major physical disease * the adolescent or their parent is assessed as having high suicide risk
Where it's running
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Hefei Fourth People's Hospital (Anhui Mental Health Center; Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University)
Hefei, Anhui, China Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Dongmei Wang, Ph.D — Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Study coordinator: Dongmei Wang, Ph.D
- Email: wangdm@psych.ac.cn
- Phone: +86 132 4190 1959
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.