Jane Gillham | Swarthmore College (original) (raw)

Papers by Jane Gillham

Journal of adolescence, Apr 1, 2017

This study aimed to analyze the prospective associations during adolescence between depressive sy... more This study aimed to analyze the prospective associations during adolescence between depressive symptoms and response styles to positive affect and to examine gender differences. A longitudinal study was conducted with three waves separated by 1 year each to assess a non-clinical sample of 622 Spanish adolescents who were 13 and 14 years old (50.2% boys, 49.8% girls). The participants completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms and responses to positive affect (emotion-focused positive rumination, self-focused positive rumination and dampening of positive emotion). The results showed that the increase in depressive symptoms was associated with an increase in dampening and decreases in emotion-focused and self-focused positive rumination. Furthermore, girls presented more depressive symptoms, as well as higher dampening and lower self-focused positive rumination, than boys. The conclusions highlight the need to consider responses to positive affect in explaining gender diffe...

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ABSTRACT Background: In recognition of the considerable risk and impairment associated with eleva... more ABSTRACT Background: In recognition of the considerable risk and impairment associated with elevated depressive symptoms in adolescence, there has been a call for an increase in indicated preventive intervention research. Based on the need for innovative depression prevention programs, we developed a school-based indicated preventive intervention, Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST; Young & Mufson, 2003). Methods: This paper describes an ongoing randomized controlled trial, comparing IPT-AST (N = 95) and usual group counseling (GC; N = 91), which is being conducted in 10 middle and high schools. Screening and enrollment data will be described. Changes in depression (as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] and Children’s Depression Rating Scale Revised [CDRS-R]) and functioning (as measured by the Children’s Global Assessment Scale [CGAS]) from pre to post-intervention will be examined using hierarchical linear modeling to accommodate the clustered data (repeated observations within person nested within group assigned to an intervention arm). Results: We have screened 2,923 youth in the 7th to 10th grades. Twenty percent of these youth had a CES-D score of 16 or higher, indicating elevated depressive symptoms. One hundred eighty-six youth with elevated symptoms were randomly assigned to IPT-AST or GC. Regarding change from pre to post-intervention, there was a significant difference in rates of change, favoring IPT-AST, on the CES-D and CGAS, controlling for school, gender, and income. More specifically, adolescents in IPT-AST showed significantly greater rates of improvement on the CES-D (t(357) = 2.65, p = 0.01) and CGAS (t(173) = -2.11, p = 0.04) from baseline to post-intervention. There were no significant differences in rates of change on the CDRS-R, a clinician administered measure of depression, likely due to floor effects. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that 20% of youth in 7th to 10th grades report elevated symptoms of depression. This supports the need for continued preventive efforts to address depression in adolescence. Preliminary findings suggest that IPT-AST leads to more significant improvements in depression and functioning than groups that were run by school counselors. This finding is noteworthy given that GC is a stringent comparison group since these groups were matched to IPT-AST groups on frequency and duration of sessions. We will continue to analyze the data to determine whether these differences persist over time and to examine moderators and mediators of intervention outcome.

J Amer Acad Child Adolesc Psy, 1999

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) is a cognitive-behavioral depression pre... more ABSTRACT Introduction: The Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) is a cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program for adolescents. On average, youth who participate in PRP report significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms through 12 months of follow-up (Brunwasser, Gillham, & Kim, 2009). However, PRP’s effects have been inconsistent. Two randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) found that PRP yielded benefits for some youth, but not others (Gillham et al., 2007, 2012). If PRP is to be implemented broadly, it is crucial that we are able to distinguish between youth who are most (and least) likely to benefit. This poster will provide new insights into the characteristics of responders and non-responders. Methods/ Results: Data from two large randomized-controlled effectiveness trials (Gillham et al., 2007, 2012) were aggregated to provide optimal statistical power (N = 874). Both studies evaluated the effectiveness of PRP when delivered in public middle schools by school personnel. Students (ages 10-14) completed 6 commonly-timed assessments across the two studies spanning 24 months of follow-up. Preliminary analyses found that the effect of PRP on depressive symptoms (Children’s Depression Inventory) did not differ across the two studies. Growth mixture (GM) analyses will be used to model heterogeneous growth in depressive symptoms (the primary DV) and hopelessness (a hypothesized mediator). First, we will evaluate whether there are distinct latent trajectory classes within the overall sample reflecting differential symptom development following the intervention. We expect multiple trajectory classes to emerge characterized by different growth patterns: sustained improvement (full-responders), non-sustained improvements (partial responders), and no improvement (non-responders). Second, we will summarize the characteristics of students within latent classes and evaluate predictors of class membership (demographics and baseline mental health variables). Third, we will evaluate whether PRP’s effects differ across latent trajectory classes, which could help us better characterize students who benefit most/least from the intervention. Finally, within all latent trajectory classes, we will examine whether or not PRP has an effect on hopelessness, and if so, whether hopelessness mediates PRP’s effect. Analyses will be conducted in accordance with recommendations provided by Muthn et al. (2002, 2009). Conclusions: The findings from this study may greatly improve our knowledge of who is most and least likely to benefit from participating in PRP. This information could lead to screening and recruitment strategies that maximize the overall efficacy and efficiency of the program. Additionally, the findings may lead to revisions that improve efficacy for non-responders.

Prevention Science, 2016

To identify moderators of a cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program&amp;#39;s ... more To identify moderators of a cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program&amp;#39;s effect on depressive symptoms among youth in early adolescence, data from three randomized controlled trials of the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) were aggregated to maximize statistical power and sample diversity (N = 1145). Depressive symptoms, measured with the Children&amp;#39;s Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs 1992), were assessed at six common time points over two-years of follow-up. Latent growth curve models evaluated whether PRP and control conditions differed in the rate of change in CDI and whether youth- and family-level characteristics moderated intervention effects. Model-based recursive partitioning was used as a supplementary analysis for identifying moderators. There was a three-way interaction of PRP, initial symptom severity, and intervention site on growth in depressive symptoms. There was considerable variability in PRP&amp;#39;s effects, with the nature of the interaction between PRP and initial symptom levels differing considerably across sites. PRP reduced depressive symptoms among youth with unmarried parents, but not among those with married parents. Finally, PRP&amp;#39;s effects differed across school grade levels. Although initial symptom severity moderated PRP&amp;#39;s effect on depressive symptoms, it was not a reliable indicator of how well the intervention performed, limiting its utility as a prescriptive variable. Our primary analyses suggest that PRP&amp;#39;s effects are limited to youth whose parents are unmarried. The small number of fifth grade students (n = 25; 2 %) showed a delayed and sustained intervention response. Our findings underscore the importance of evaluating site, family, and contextual characteristics as moderators in future studies.

J Early Adolescence, 2009

Does anxiety lead to depression more for girls than for boys? This study prospectively examines g... more Does anxiety lead to depression more for girls than for boys? This study prospectively examines gender differences in the relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms in early adolescence. One hundred thirteen 11-to 14-year-old middle school students complete questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms and three dimensions of anxiety (worry and oversensitivity, social concerns and concentration, and physiological anxiety) as well as total anxiety symptoms at an initial assessment and 1 year later. Total anxiety and worry and oversensitivity symptoms are found to predict later depressive symptoms more strongly for girls than for boys. There is a similar pattern of results for social concerns and concentration symptoms, although this does not reach statistical significance. Physiological anxiety predicts later depressive symptoms for both boys and girls. These findings highlight the importance of anxiety for the development of depression in adolescence, particularly worry and oversensitivity among girls.

Prevention Science, 2015

Given the rise in depression disorders in adolescence, it is important to develop and study depre... more Given the rise in depression disorders in adolescence, it is important to develop and study depression prevention programs for this age group. The current study examined the efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), a group prevention program for adolescent depression, in comparison to group programs that are typically delivered in school settings. In this indicated prevention trial, 186 adolescents with elevated depression symptoms were randomized to receive IPT-AST delivered by research staff or group counseling (GC) delivered by school counselors. Hierarchical linear modeling examined differences in rates of change in depressive symptoms and overall functioning from baseline to the 6-month follow-up assessment. Cox regression compared rates of depression diagnoses. Adolescents in IPT-AST showed significantly greater improvements in self-reported depressive symptoms and evaluatorrated overall functioning than GC adolescents from baseline to the 6-month follow-up. However, there were no significant differences between the two conditions in onset of depression diagnoses. Although both intervention conditions demonstrated significant improvements in depressive symptoms and overall functioning, results indicate that IPT-AST has modest benefits over groups run by school counselors which were matched on frequency and duration of sessions. In particular, IPT-AST outperformed GC in reduction of depressive symptoms and improvements in overall functioning. These findings point to the clinical utility of this depression prevention program, at least in the short-term. Additional follow-up is needed to determine the long-term effects of IPT-AST, relative to GC, particularly in preventing depression onset.

This thesis describes two studies which investigated the effectiveness of the Depression Preventi... more This thesis describes two studies which investigated the effectiveness of the Depression Prevention Program (DPP) in preventing depressive symptoms in children. The DPP is a group intervention which teaches children cognitive-behavioral and social problem-solving techniques ...

Page 142. Chapter 4 PREVENTING DEPRESSION IN EARLY ADOLESCENT GIRLS The Penn Resiliency and Girls... more Page 142. Chapter 4 PREVENTING DEPRESSION IN EARLY ADOLESCENT GIRLS The Penn Resiliency and Girls in Transition Programs JANE E. GILLHAM, TARA M. CHAPLIN, KAREN REIVICH, AND JOHN HAMILTON Page 143. Page 144. ...

Handbook of Depression …, 2007

Page 322. 13 Preventing Depression in Early Adolescence The Penn Resiliency Program Jane E. Gillh... more Page 322. 13 Preventing Depression in Early Adolescence The Penn Resiliency Program Jane E. Gillham, Steven M. Brunwasser, and Derek R. Freres D epression is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders and, as such, it is an important target for prevention efforts. ...

The science of optimism and hope, 2000

The Journal of Early Adolescence, 2015

This study examined how social support seeking and rumination interacted to predict depression an... more This study examined how social support seeking and rumination interacted to predict depression and anxiety symptoms 6 months later in early adolescents ( N = 118; 11-14 years at baseline). We expected social support seeking would be more helpful for adolescents engaging in low rather than high levels of rumination. Adolescents self-reported on all measures at baseline, and on depression and anxiety symptoms 6 months later. Social support seeking predicted fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety at low rumination levels but was not associated with benefits as rumination increased. For depression symptoms, social support seeking predicted more symptoms at high rumination levels. Results were stronger for emotion-focused than problem-focused support seeking and for depression compared with anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that cognitive risk factors like rumination may explain some inconsistencies in previous social support literature, and highlight the importance of a nuanced...

The purpose of this review was to evaluate whether the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP), a group cog... more The purpose of this review was to evaluate whether the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP), a group cognitive–behavioral intervention, is effective in targeting depressive symptoms in youths. We identified 17 controlled evaluations of PRP (N = 2,498) in which depressive symptoms had been measured via an online search of PsycInfo, Medline, ERIC, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and by requesting data from PRP researchers. We combined effect sizes (ESs; Glass's d), using random effects models at postintervention and two follow-up assessments (6–8 and 12 months postintervention). PRP participants reported fewer depressive symptoms at postintervention and both follow-up assessments compared with youths receiving no intervention, with ESs ranging from 0.11 to 0.21. Subgroup analyses showed that PRP's effects were significant at 1 or more follow-up assessments among studies with both targeted and universal approaches, when group leaders were research team members and community providers, among participants with both low and elevated baseline symptoms, and among boys and girls. Limited data showed no evidence that PRP is superior to active control conditions. Preliminary analyses suggested that PRP's effects on depressive disorders may be smaller than those reported in a larger meta-analysis of depression prevention programs for older adolescents and adults. We found evidence that PRP significantly reduces depressive symptoms through at least 1-year postintervention. Future PRP research should examine whether PRP's effects on depressive symptoms lead to clinically meaningful benefits for its participants, whether the program is cost-effective, whether CB skills mediate program effects, and whether PRP is effective when delivered under real-world conditions.

Author Keywords: depression; prevention; adolescents; meta-analysis; Penn Resiliency Program

Psychologists have been studying resilience since the 1970s to understand what enables individual... more Psychologists have been studying resilience since the 1970s to understand what enables individual to meet developmental milestones despite serious risk factors. Although early research used terms like "invincible" and "invulnerable" to describe youth who showed resilience, the ...

Journal of adolescence, Jan 5, 2015

We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a 5-month resilience-based program (Girls First Res... more We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a 5-month resilience-based program (Girls First Resilience Curriculum or RC) among 2308 rural adolescent girls at 57 government schools in Bihar, India. Local women with at least a 10th grade education served as group facilitators. Girls receiving RC improved more (vs. controls) on emotional resilience, self-efficacy, social-emotional assets, psychological wellbeing, and social wellbeing. Effects were not detected on depression. There was a small, statistically significant negative effect on anxiety (though not likely clinically significant). Results suggest psychosocial assets and wellbeing can be improved for girls in high-poverty, rural schools through a brief school-day program. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest developing country trials of a resilience-based school-day curriculum for adolescents.