Assessing the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural group coaching intervention in reducing symptoms of depression among adolescent males in a school setting

Objectives:The research sought to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural group coaching intervention in impacting positively on depressive symptoms among an all-male, adolescent, school-going population. Design:An experimental design was employed. Twenty-seven participants were recruited from Transition Year students in one secondary school in Cork, Republic of Ireland. They were randomly assigned to either receive the intervention or act as a control group. The intervention programme was delivered in four sessions across four weeks. Method:Depressive symptoms were measured (using CES-DC) prior to random allocation (T1) and then at the end of the final session (T2). Results:A two-way mixed ANOVA found a significant interaction with a large effect size between intervention group and time of assessment (F[1, 21]=5.63, p=.027), with the intervention group showing a reduction in depressive scores while the control group saw an increase. When change in levels of depressive caseness in both groups was considered, differences were not significant (c2[2]=3.73, p=.13), but trended in the expected direction with a medium effect size. Conclusion:The results indicate that the implementation of such interventions more widely may prove beneficial, and that further research is merited.