Group Version of the UP-A in a Spanish Day Hospital for Adolescents.

Launched by UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA · Mar 24, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at a new way to help teenagers with serious emotional issues, like anxiety and depression, by using a group therapy program called UP-A, adapted for Spanish-speaking patients. The study takes place in a day hospital setting, where patients come in during the day for treatment but return home at night. Researchers want to see if this group version is effective and beneficial for teens aged 11 to 18 who are already receiving care at the hospital. They will check in with participants and their families at the beginning of the study and then again after 3, 6, and 12 months to see how they are doing.

To participate, teens need to be able to join group therapy and have a diagnosis of a mood or anxiety disorder that is moderate to severe. They should be fluent in Spanish and have a parent or guardian who can help with some questionnaires. However, those with certain conditions, like eating disorders or severe behavioral issues, might not be eligible. Participants can expect to engage in group therapy sessions where they will work on their mental health together, and the study will also ask for feedback on their experiences and any changes they notice over time.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Being an active patient at the Day Hospital of the Puerta de Hierro Hospital
• • Presenting, as the main diagnosis (most serious diagnosis or the one that interferes the most), an emotional disorder with moderate or high severity including the following disorders based on DSM-5 categories: Depressive Disorders (Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder), Bipolar Disorders (Bipolar I and II Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder), Anxiety Disorders (Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder), Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (including Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Hoarding Disorder, Trichotillomania and Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder), Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders (Reactive Attachment Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorders), Dissociative Disorders (Dissociative Identity Disorder, Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder) and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (Somatic Symptom Disorder and Illness Anxiety Disorder). Specified and unspecified disorders from the above categories are also included.
• • Being able to participate normally in group therapy (despite presenting self-harm or suicidal ideation, severe depressive disorder or dysfunctional personality and/or autism spectrum disorder)
• • Being 11-18 years of age
• • Being proficient in Spanish
• • Being able to attend the evaluation and treatment sessions
• • At least one of the adolescent's parents or legal guardians being able to complete the evaluation questionnaires
• • If the participant was taking psychiatric medication, the dose being remaining stable for at least 1 month before the start of treatment and throughout it
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Presenting one or more of the following clinical conditions (either as a main or comorbid diagnosis): 1) Intellectual Disability, 2) Autism Spectrum Disorder accompanied by an intellectual disability that does not allow for group therapeutic work, 3) Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders with a severity level that hinders group work, 4) Eating Disorders as the main diagnosis, 5) Psychotic Spectrum Disorders or psychotic-type symptoms, 6) Substance Abuse Disorders (excluding cannabis, coffee and/or nicotine) as the main diagnosis
• • The characteristics or severity of the symptoms presented by the adolescent requiring an individual intervention or one adapted to the specific clinical condition
• • Suffering from a serious medical illness that makes the adolescent's participation in the treatment program unsustainable
• • The participant, or, if under 16 years of age, his or her parents, having refused to sign the informed consent