Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study

Introduction Major depression (MD) often has its onset during adolescence and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. One important factor for the development and maintenance of adolescent MD are disturbances in emotion regulation and the underlying neural processes. Cognitive reappr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ellen Greimel, Lisa Feldmann, Charlotte Piechaczek, Frans Oort, Jürgen Bartling, Martin Schulte-Rüther, Gerd Schulte-Körne
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-09-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/9/e036093.full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850083390809702400
author Ellen Greimel
Lisa Feldmann
Charlotte Piechaczek
Frans Oort
Jürgen Bartling
Martin Schulte-Rüther
Gerd Schulte-Körne
author_facet Ellen Greimel
Lisa Feldmann
Charlotte Piechaczek
Frans Oort
Jürgen Bartling
Martin Schulte-Rüther
Gerd Schulte-Körne
author_sort Ellen Greimel
collection DOAJ
description Introduction Major depression (MD) often has its onset during adolescence and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. One important factor for the development and maintenance of adolescent MD are disturbances in emotion regulation and the underlying neural processes. Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is a particular adaptive emotion regulation strategy. Previously, it has been shown in healthy adults that a task-based training in CR is efficient to reduce negative affect, and that these effects translate into everyday life.This randomised controlled trial examines for the first time whether a task-based training in CR proves effective in MD adolescents. Specifically, we will investigate whether the CR training improves the ability to downregulate negative affect in MD individuals as assessed by behavioural and neurobiological indices, and whether training effects generalise outside the laboratory.Methods and analysis Adolescents with MD will be randomly allocated to a group that either receives a task-based training in CR or a control training. Both involve four training sessions over a time period of 2 weeks. In the CR training, participants will be instructed to downregulate negative affective responses to negative pictures via CR, while the control training involves picture viewing. During the training sessions, the Late Positive Potential, gaze fixations on negative picture aspects and affective responses to pictures will be collected. Before and after the training programmes, and at a 2-week follow-up, overall negative and positive affect, rumination and perceived stress will be assessed as primary outcomes. Analyses of variance will be conducted to test the effectiveness of the CR training with regard to both primary outcomes and task-based behavioural and neurobiological parameters.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich, Germany. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through conferences, social media and public events.Trial registration details ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03957850, registered 21st May 2019; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03957850.
format Article
id doaj-art-6500eb565dda42f0b515aba1b793517c
institution DOAJ
issn 2044-6055
language English
publishDate 2020-09-01
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
record_format Article
series BMJ Open
spelling doaj-art-6500eb565dda42f0b515aba1b793517c2025-08-20T02:44:19ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552020-09-0110910.1136/bmjopen-2019-036093Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI studyEllen Greimel0Lisa Feldmann1Charlotte Piechaczek2Frans Oort3Jürgen Bartling4Martin Schulte-Rüther5Gerd Schulte-Körne6Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, GermanyResearch Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, GermanyTranslational Brain Medicine in Psychiatry and Neurology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, GermanyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, GermanyIntroduction Major depression (MD) often has its onset during adolescence and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. One important factor for the development and maintenance of adolescent MD are disturbances in emotion regulation and the underlying neural processes. Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is a particular adaptive emotion regulation strategy. Previously, it has been shown in healthy adults that a task-based training in CR is efficient to reduce negative affect, and that these effects translate into everyday life.This randomised controlled trial examines for the first time whether a task-based training in CR proves effective in MD adolescents. Specifically, we will investigate whether the CR training improves the ability to downregulate negative affect in MD individuals as assessed by behavioural and neurobiological indices, and whether training effects generalise outside the laboratory.Methods and analysis Adolescents with MD will be randomly allocated to a group that either receives a task-based training in CR or a control training. Both involve four training sessions over a time period of 2 weeks. In the CR training, participants will be instructed to downregulate negative affective responses to negative pictures via CR, while the control training involves picture viewing. During the training sessions, the Late Positive Potential, gaze fixations on negative picture aspects and affective responses to pictures will be collected. Before and after the training programmes, and at a 2-week follow-up, overall negative and positive affect, rumination and perceived stress will be assessed as primary outcomes. Analyses of variance will be conducted to test the effectiveness of the CR training with regard to both primary outcomes and task-based behavioural and neurobiological parameters.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich, Germany. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through conferences, social media and public events.Trial registration details ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03957850, registered 21st May 2019; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03957850.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/9/e036093.full
spellingShingle Ellen Greimel
Lisa Feldmann
Charlotte Piechaczek
Frans Oort
Jürgen Bartling
Martin Schulte-Rüther
Gerd Schulte-Körne
Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study
BMJ Open
title Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study
title_full Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study
title_fullStr Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study
title_full_unstemmed Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study
title_short Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study
title_sort study protocol for a randomised controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression the konni study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/9/e036093.full
work_keys_str_mv AT ellengreimel studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy
AT lisafeldmann studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy
AT charlottepiechaczek studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy
AT fransoort studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy
AT jurgenbartling studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy
AT martinschulteruther studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy
AT gerdschultekorne studyprotocolforarandomisedcontrolledstudyonemotionregulationtrainingforadolescentswithmajordepressionthekonnistudy