EHSLibrary » prevention http://library.med.utah.edu/blog/eccles Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library Blog Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:53:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Can texting be used to keep teens from becoming depressed? http://library.med.utah.edu/blog/eccles/2012/02/13/can-texting-be-used-to-keep-teens-from-becoming-depressed/ http://library.med.utah.edu/blog/eccles/2012/02/13/can-texting-be-used-to-keep-teens-from-becoming-depressed/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:57:31 +0000 Todd Vandenbark http://library.med.utah.edu/blog/eccles/?p=1584 depressed teen holding her face with left hand.Preventing depression in teens can help them avoid social dysfunction, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, suicide, and mental health conditions in adulthood. A study recently published in the online Journal of Medical Internet Research tested whether a ”depression prevention intervention for adolescents”  delivered via texting could help. This double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in high schools in Auckland, New Zealand, from June 2009 through April 2011 using 855 students ranging in age from 13 – 17.  Results from follow-up questionnaires showed that participants in the intervention group were more successful and remaining positive and getting rid of negative thoughts than the control group. Changes in clinician-based depression scores of participants are yet to be completed, but if similar in effectiveness, this could provide parents, schools and mental health professionals a new tool for combating teenage depression.

Would you sign up for such a program? What ways has texting and communicating with others electronically provided you with support to get through rough times? Tell us about it!

]]> http://library.med.utah.edu/blog/eccles/2012/02/13/can-texting-be-used-to-keep-teens-from-becoming-depressed/feed/ 0