Improving Mood for Adolescents Through Teaming With End-Users in Routine Care (The iMATTER Project)

Launched by CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA · Jun 6, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The iMATTER Project is a research study aimed at preventing depression in teenagers aged 13 to 17. It will test a program called Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (B-IPT-AST) in pediatric primary care settings. This program is designed to help young people develop skills to manage their emotions and improve their mental health. The study is currently recruiting participants, and it is looking for teens who can speak English, have a specific score indicating mild to moderate depressive symptoms, and have permission from their legal guardians to take part.

If your teenager is eligible and chooses to participate, they will engage in activities related to the program, which may include talking with a trained professional and using electronic devices for remote evaluations. Importantly, teens who have serious thoughts of self-harm or other significant medical or behavioral issues will not be included in the study. This trial is an opportunity for eligible adolescents to receive support and skills to help prevent depression, while also contributing to important research that could benefit others in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • For Adolescent Participants
• • 1. Adolescents ages 13 to 17 years.
• • 2. Adolescents must be English-speaking.
• • 3. Legal guardian permission (informed consent) and child consent/assent.
• • 4. A score of 5-10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item: Modified for Teens (PHQ-9-M) at the primary care well-visit.
• • 5. Access to a phone, computer, or other electronic device that could be used for study activities
• • For Legal guardian Participants
• • 1. Legal guardian of an adolescents ages 13 to 17 years who scored 5-10 on the PHQ-9-M at the primary care well-visit.
• • 2. Consent to participate.
• • 3. English-speaking.
• • 4. Access to a phone, computer, and/or tablet to complete remote evaluations.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Exclusion criteria will be determined based on electronic health record (EHR) review, eligibility screening questions, the baseline evaluation, and any other interactions with the family.
• • 1. Suicidal ideation or behaviors reported on the PHQ-9-M at their well-visit (score of 1 or higher on item 9 "In the past week, have you had thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way?" and/or yes to either of the supplemental questions which ask, "Has there been a time in the past month when you have had serious thoughts about ending your life?" and "Have you ever, in your whole life, tried to kill yourself or made a suicide attempt?") based on medical record review. For the PHQ-9-M administered at baseline, adolescents who mark yes to the supplemental item about serious suicidal ideation in the past month ("Has there been a time in the past month when you have had serious thoughts about ending your life?") will be excluded.
• • 2. Major medical illness, significant behavioral problems or intellectual or developmental disabilities that may interfere with the completion of all study procedures.
• • 3. Youth may be excluded on a case-by-case basis if the EHR review, eligibility screener, baseline evaluation, or other interactions with the family suggests that the group program would not be appropriate.