The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and cost-utility of a school-based cognitive-behavioral (CB) depression prevention program.
A quasi-experimental trial with an intervention group and a control group, with follow-up measurements obtained at three and 12 months after baseline, was conducted. The setting was six Swedish municipalities. The participants were students in grade 8 (median age: 14). A total of 462 students (79% girls) were allocated to the school-based CB prevention program, and 486 students (46% girls) were allocated to the control group. The school-based CB prevention program, Depression in Swedish Adolescents (DISA), was presented by school health service staff and teachers once per week for 10 weeks.
The main outcome measures were self-reported depressive symptoms and self-rated health; the secondary outcome measures were adherence and cost-utility. The intervention group decreased their self-reported depressive symptoms (as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and improved their self-rated health (as measured by the visual analog scale) at the 12-month follow-up more than the control group ( p