Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40611193›Full record

ArticleTrials2025

Evaluating a brief imagery-based intervention for adolescent depression: study protocol for a Phase IIB randomised control trial (INDIGO) in secondary schools.

Victoria Pile, Rose Tinch-Taylor, Ben Carter, Jessica Richardson, Lisa De Rijk, Mary Leamy, Simon E Blackwell, Richard Meiser-Stedman, Barnaby D Dunn, Sarah Byford and 3 more

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Victoria PileDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. victoria.pile@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9177-2844
Rose Tinch-TaylorKing's Clinical Trials Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
Ben CarterKing's Clinical Trials Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
Jessica RichardsonDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
Lisa De RijkDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
Mary LeamyCare of Long-term Conditions, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, London, UK.
Simon E BlackwellDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Institute of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Richard Meiser-StedmanDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
Barnaby D DunnMood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Sarah ByfordHealth Service & Population Research Department, King's College London, 18 De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AZ, UK.
Emily A HolmesDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
Cathy CreswellDepartments of Psychiatry and Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
Patrick SmithDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.

Funding

Research Trainees Coordinating Centre NIHR301312
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is an urgent need for psychological interventions that can target depression in late adolescence and prevent it from having lifelong implications. Schools have been identified as a promising setting to enhance access to interventions and offer support earlier. We have co-developed a novel intervention, IMAGINE, that targets key cognitive mechanisms implicated in depression across the lifespan. Depression has been associated with distressing negative mental images, a deficit in positive future images and overgeneral autobiographical memories. Interventions targeting these factors have shown clinical promise in adults. Here, we combine techniques targeting these cognitive processes into a novel, brief psychological intervention for adolescent depression. This Phase IIb randomised controlled trial will evaluate IMAGINE compared to an active psychological intervention. METHODS/

designOne hundred sixty adolescents (aged 16-18) with high levels of depressive symptoms will be recruited from schools. Participants will be randomly allocated to IMAGINE or the active psychological control intervention, non-directive support (NDS). Assessment will take place at baseline, 8-, 16- and 24-week post randomisation. The primary objective is to establish whether IMAGINE reduces symptoms of depression, relative to NDS, at 8 weeks following randomisation. Secondary objectives include whether changes in depression are maintained at 16- and 24-week follow-up, the efficacy of IMAGINE on secondary clinical outcomes and key cognitive mechanisms and, finally, to assess outcomes around acceptability, safety and adherence. DISCUSSION: If IMAGINE is shown to be safe and clinically effective, an effectiveness-implementation hybrid RCT will be indicated. If rolled out as an intervention, IMAGINE would significantly extend the range of effective therapies available for adolescent depression.

trial registrationISRCTN, ISRCTN14015295. Registered 11 September 2023, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14015295 .

Indexed as

Adolescent BehaviorDepressionImagery, PsychotherapyAdolescentClinical Trials, Phase II as TopicCognitionFemaleHumansMaleRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeAdolescenceAutobiographical memoryDepressionEarly interventionImagery rescriptingMemory specificity trainingMental imageryPsychological therapySchool-based intervention

Identifiers

PMID40611193
PMCPMC12225131

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.