Developing a gamified app to help 8–12-year-olds with depression manage everyday stressors

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

The project conducts a participatory needs assessment with children aged 8–12 who have increased depressive symptoms and their parents to inform the development of a gamified emotion-regulation app. Researchers will use child interviews, parent focus groups, and questionnaires to identify common everyday stressors, current coping strategies, and preferred types of support. Inclusion is based on elevated depressive symptoms by child self-report (Beck Depression Inventory for Youth T-score > 60) or parental rating (DISYPS-III FBB-DES Stanine ≥ 7), with exclusions for acute suicidality, psychotic disorders, severe developmental disorders, substance-induced disorders, or insufficient German. Findings will directly guide game scenarios and features to ensure they are age-appropriate, relevant, and acceptable to the target group before building the app.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria (Children):

* increased depressive symptoms indicated by either (1) self report assessed with Beck Depression Inventory for Youth 2 (Beck et al., 2019; T-score \> 60) , or (2) parental report assessed with DISYPS-III - external rating scale for depressive disorders (FBB-DES; Döpfner et al., 2017; applying gender- and age-normed Stanine scores ≥ 7).

Exclusion Criteria (Children):

* Insufficient German language skills
* Acute suicidality
* Schizophrenic disorder
* Severe developmental disorder
* Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychotropic substances

Inclusion Criteria (Parents):

Parent of a child meeting the above inclusion criteria

Where it's running

• Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital
  München, Bavaria, Germany Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Gerd Schulte-Körne, Prof. Dr. — Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital
• Study coordinator: Lisa Feldmann, Dr.
• Email: Lisa.Feldmann@med.uni-muenchen.de
• Phone: +49 (0)89 4400 56920

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.