Kind Minds Program for Youth With Anxiety and Depression

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES · Apr 25, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Kind Minds Program is a clinical trial designed to help teenagers aged 12 to 17 who are struggling with anxiety and depression. The study is exploring whether having both the teenager and their parent or caregiver learn mindfulness techniques together can provide extra benefits for the teen's mental health. Mindfulness involves practices that help individuals focus on the present moment, which has been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. In this 9-week program, some parents or caregivers will join their teens in the mindfulness training, while others will not, allowing researchers to compare the outcomes for both groups.

To participate, families need to meet certain criteria: the teenager must have a current diagnosis of anxiety or depression, and they must have a parent or caregiver willing to join the program. Both the teen and the parent need to be comfortable using a smartphone and able to communicate in English. Throughout the study, participants will complete questionnaires about their moods and mental health at the beginning, middle, and end of the program, which will take about 12 weeks in total. This trial offers a unique opportunity to see how practicing mindfulness together might improve the mental well-being of both teens and their caregivers.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• * Participants will include:
• • 1. one adolescent (aged 12-17 years) with a current diagnosis of an anxiety or depressive disorder)
• • 2. one of their parents/caregivers.
• • 3. Both adolescent and caregiver must speak English to the degree necessary to participate in the intervention program, which is only available in English.
• • 4. Parent and youth must have a smart phone and be willing to download the online mindfulness program.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• * Exclusion criteria apply to both caregiver and adolescent and include:
• • 1. current alcohol or substance use disorder or suicidality
• • 2. lifetime diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, conduct disorder, or developmental delay diagnosed by an independent evaluator;
• • 3. English reading level below 4th grade
• • 4. non English speaking
• • 5. currently receiving mindfulness-based mental health services or taking medication to treat anxiety or depression.