Promoting Positive Emotions in Adolescents Using Positive Events Training: An Indicated Approach
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age12-16
SponsorKU Leuven
About this trial
Research shows that high positive emotionality is an essential ingredient in building resilience in youngsters, especially those with a vulnerability to develop depressive symptomatology. It may empower them against actual depression and its various long-term adverse outcomes. One way to achieve positive emotions is via the recollection and anticipation of specific positive events. Therefore, to cultivate positive emotions in young people, a user-friendly group training program was developed, translated from basic research findings: Positive Event Training (PET). Through PET, adolescents learn to solidify positive memories and positive plans for the future. In this project, a comprehensive evaluation of PET's efficacy is conducted using a robust methodology with vulnerable youth.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
12-16 years (age)
moderate level of baseline depressive symptoms
Disqualifiers
None
Trial design
Design model
Single group
Treatments tested in this trial
Positive Events Training (PET)
BehavioralPositive Event Training or PET is a group-based training program combining Memory Specificity Training (MEST; Raes, 2007) and Future Event Specificity Training (FEST; Dutch version of Hallford et al. (2020): Changing the Future: An initial test of Future Specificity Training).
Treatment groups
36 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment groupGroup A: Positive Events Training (PET)Experimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Daily-life positive emotions measured via daily diary items at post-training (adapted from Kirtley et al., 2022)
Mean value of four daily diary items (i.e., "How relaxed, content, enthusiast, good do you feel?"), rated on a 0 ("not at all") to 100 ("a lot") rating scale. Higher values represent, higher levels of positive emotions (min = 0, max = 100).
Time frame
Measured via nine days of daily diaries (2x/day) immediately after the training (i.e., four weeks after the baseline assessment)2
Daily-life positive emotions measured via daily diary items at follow-up (adapted from Kirtley et al., 2022)
Mean value of four daily diary items (i.e., "How relaxed, content, enthusiast, good do you feel?"), rated on a 0 ("not at all") to 100 ("a lot") rating scale. Higher values represent, higher levels of positive emotions (min = 0, max = 100).
Time frame
Measured via nine days of daily diaries (2x/day) after two/three months of follow-up after the post-training assessment3
Daily-life anhedonia measured via daily diary items at post-training (adapted from Bogaert et al., 2023)
Mean value of three daily diary items tapping into difficulties experiencing consummatory pleasure, anticipatory pleasure and motivational difficulties using a 0-100 Likert scale (0 = "not at all", 100 = "a lot"; items: "To what extent did you find it difficult to enjoy yourself?"; "To what extent did you look forward to doing enjoyable things? (reverse-scored), "Conditional: if 0-50 ("not at all - neutral"): Was this because there really weren't any enjoyable things to look forward to, or because they were there but you couldn't really look forward to them?; "How happy did you feel?" (reverse-scored)). Higher score reflects higher levels of anhedonia (min = 0, max = 100).
Time frame
Measured via nine days of daily diaries (2x/day) immediately after the end of the training (i.e., four weeks after the baseline assessment)4
Daily-life anhedonia measured via daily diary items at follow-up (adapted from Bogaert et al., 2023)
Mean value of three daily diary items tapping into difficulties experiencing consummatory pleasure, anticipatory pleasure and motivational difficulties using a 0-100 Likert scale (0 = "not at all", 100 = "a lot"; items: "To what extent did you find it difficult to enjoy yourself?"; "To what extent did you look forward to doing enjoyable things? (reverse-scored), "Conditional: if 0-50 ("not at all - neutral"): Was this because there really weren't any enjoyable things to look forward to, or because they were there but you couldn't really look forward to them?; "How happy did you feel?" (reverse-scored)). Higher score reflects higher levels of anhedonia (min = 0, max = 100).
Time frame
Measured via nine days of daily diaries (2x/day) after two/three months of follow-up after the post-training assessmentSecondary outcomes
1
Episodic future thinking features measured via the Episodic Future Thinking Test (EFT-T; Hallford et al., 2019), and single item rating scales per generated event at post-training
8 cue words in response to which a positive future event is generated, accompanied with single-item rating scales ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (very much). In line with the study of Hallford, Yeow, et al. (2020), participants rate the index of detail (IoD), mental imagery (MI), anticipated (AdP) and anticipatory pleasure (AyP), and perceived control (PC) and perceived likelihood of occurrence (PLO) associated with the generated future events on the EFT-T. Higher scores reflect higher levels of the feature of interest (min = 8; max = 72).
Time frame
Measured immediately after the end of the training (i.e., four weeks after the baseline assessment)2
Episodic future thinking features measured via the Episodic Future Thinking Test (EFT-T; Hallford et al., 2019), and single item rating scales per generated event at follow-up
8 cue words in response to which a positive future event is generated, accompanied with single-item rating scales ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (very much). In line with the study of Hallford, Yeow, et al. (2020), participants rate the index of detail (IoD), mental imagery (MI), anticipated (AdP) and anticipatory pleasure (AyP), and perceived control (PC) and perceived likelihood of occurrence (PLO) associated with the generated future events on the EFT-T. Higher scores reflect higher levels of the feature of interest (min = 8; max = 72).
Time frame
Measured after two/three months of follow-up after the post-training assessment3
Autobiographical memory features measured via the Autobiographical Memory (AM) Test (AMT; Raes, Williams, & Hermans, 2009) and single item rating scales per generated event at post-training
8 cue words in response to which a positive past event is recalled, accompanied with single-item rating scales ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (very much). Participants rate the index of detail (IoD), mental imagery (MI), felt and remembered pleasure (FP and RP), associated with the recalled past events on the AMT. Higher scores reflect higher levels of the feature of interest (min = 8; max = 72).
Time frame
Measured via self-report scales immediately after the end of the training (i.e., four weeks after the baseline assessment)4
Autobiographical memory features measured via the Autobiographical Memory (AM) Test (AMT; Raes, Williams, & Hermans, 2009) and single item rating scales per generated event at follow-up
8 cue words in response to which a positive past event is recalled, accompanied with single-item rating scales ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (very much). Participants rate the index of detail (IoD), mental imagery (MI), felt and remembered pleasure (FP and RP), associated with the recalled past events on the AMT. Higher scores reflect higher levels of the feature of interest (min = 8; max = 72).
Time frame
Measured after two/three months of follow-up after the post-training assessmentOther outcomes
1
Open questions measuring the engagement with the training material, implementation in daily life and general experiences related to the training
Time frame
Measured after the training (i.e., 4 weeks after the end of the baseline assessment) and at follow-up (i.e., two/three months after the post-training assessment)Locations
Sponsors and contacts
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KU Leuven
Lead sponsor
Research Foundation - Flanders (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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