Group therapy shows promise for teens battling anxiety and depression

NCT ID NCT06894368

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

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

31 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2022

Finished

Jul 2025

Lead sponsor

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

11 to 18 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

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

  • Centro de Salud Mental de Majadahonda

    Madrid, Madrid, 28221, Spain

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