Group therapy shows promise for teens battling anxiety and depression
NCT ID NCT06894368
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a group version of a therapy program called the Unified Protocol for teens with emotional disorders like anxiety and depression. Thirty-one adolescents took part in 16 weekly group sessions at a public mental health center in Spain, along with three parent sessions. Researchers measured changes in symptoms and daily functioning over a year to see if the program was helpful and practical in a real-world setting.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- group therapy program (Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents, UP-A)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this group therapy approach could provide an effective, scalable treatment option for teens with emotional disorders, reducing strain on public mental health services.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with 31 participants, so results may not apply to all teens. The therapy requires commitment to 16 weekly sessions, and not everyone may respond equally.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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31 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2022
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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11 to 18 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Presenting a primary diagnosis of an emotional disorder with mild or moderate severity, including the following disorders based on DSM-5 categories: Depressive Disorders (Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder), Anxiety Disorders (Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder), Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (including Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Hoarding Disorder, Trichotillomania and Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder), Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders (Reactive Attachment Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorders), Dissociative Disorders (Dissociative Identity Disorder, Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder) and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (Somatic Symptom Disorder and Illness Anxiety Disorder). Specified and unspecified disorders from the above categories were also included. * Being 11-18 years of age * Being proficient in Spanish * The adolescent being able to attend the treatment sessions * At least one of the adolescent's parents or legal guardians being able to attend the parents' treatment sessions * If the participant was taking psychiatric medication, the dose was required to remain stable for at least 1 month before the start of treatment and throughout it Exclusion Criteria: * Presenting self-harm or suicidal ideation in a moderate or severe degree * Presenting certain of the following clinical conditions (either as a main or comorbid diagnosis): Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder); Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders; Eating Disorders; Psychotic Spectrum Disorders or psychotic-type symptoms,; Substance Abuse Disorders (excluding cannabis, coffee and/or nicotine); high severity Emotional Disorders; and Bipolar Disorders * The characteristics or severity of the symptoms presented by the adolescent requiring an individual intervention or one adapted to the specific clinical condition * Be receiving public or private psychological treatment during the UP-A program * Suffering from a serious medical illness that made the adolescent's participation in the treatment program unsustainable * The participant, or if under 16 years of age, his or her parents, having refused to sign the informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Centro de Salud Mental de Majadahonda
Madrid, Madrid, 28221, Spain
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