A Multi‐Family Group Intervention for Adolescent Depression: The BEST MOOD Program

• Author: Lucinda A. Poole,Melanie D. Bertino,John W. Toumbourou,Tess Knight,Andrew J. Lewis,Reima Pryor
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12218
• Published date: 01 June 2017
• Date: 01 June 2017

A Multi-Family Group Intervention for Adolescent

Depression: The BEST MOOD Program

LUCINDA A. POOLE

*

ANDREW J. LEWIS

†

JOHN W. TOUMBOUROU

*

TESS KNIGHT

*

MELANIE D. BERTINO

*

REIMA PRYOR

*

Depression is the most common mental disorder for young people, and it is associated

with educational underachievement, self-harm, and suicidality. Current psychological

therapies for adolescent depression are usually focused only on individual-level change

and often neglect family or contextual influences. The efficacy of interventions may be

enhanced with a broader therapeutic focus on family factors such as communication, con-

flict, support, and cohesion. This article describes a structured multi-family group

approach to the treatment of adolescent depression: Behaviour Exchange Systems Therapy

for adolescent depression (BEST MOOD). BEST MOOD is a manualized intervention that

is designed to address both individual and family factors in the treatment of adole scent

depression. BEST MOOD adopts a family systems approach that also incor porates psy-

choeducation and elements of attachment theories. The program consists of eight multi-

family group therapy sessions delivered over 2 hours per week, where parents attend the

first four sessions and young people and siblings join from week 5. The program design is

specifically aimed to engage youth who are initially resistant to treatment and to optimize

youth and family mental health outcomes. This article presents an overview of the theoreti-

cal model, session content, and evaluations to date, and provides a case study to illustrate

the approach.

Keywords: Depression; Adolesce nce; Intervention; Family-Based; Psychological Therapy;

Program Design

Fam Proc 56:317–330, 2017

Depression is considered the leading cause of disability in adolescents and one of the

strongest risk factors for suicide, which is the second most common cause of death in

this age group (WHO, 2014). Adolescence is a peak period for the onset of depressive disor-

der, with annual prevalence rates rising from 0.8% to 2% in childhood to 4% to 8% in ado-

lescence (13–18 years; Birmaher et al., 2007; Costello, Erkanli, & Angold, 2006). The

rates tend to be higher among females from puberty onwards (Essau, Lewinsohn, Seeley,

& Sasagawa, 2010; Lewis et al., 2015).

Adolescent depressive disorders are believed to reflect an interaction of biological and

environmental risk factors (Nolen-Hoeksema & Hilt, 2013; Stark, Banneyer, Wang, &

Arora, 2012). Well-established risk factors for adolescent depression include negativ e

*School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.

†

School of Psychology & Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrew J. Lewis, School of Psychology &

Exercise Science, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch WA 6150, Australia. E-mail: a.lewis@

murdoch.edu.au.

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Family Process, Vol. 56, No. 2, 2017 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12218