Talking therapy may lower diabetes risk in depressed teen girls

NCT ID NCT03263351

Disease control Sponsor: Colorado State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study looked at whether a type of talk therapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy) could improve how the body uses insulin in teenage girls at risk for type 2 diabetes. The 147 participants were girls aged 12-17 with depressive symptoms and a family history of diabetes. The therapy group was compared to a health education group over one year to see changes in insulin sensitivity and depression.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: cognitive-behavioral therapy
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could offer a non-drug way to reduce diabetes risk in teens with depression.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage study with 147 participants, and results may not apply to all groups. The therapy may not improve insulin sensitivity as hoped.

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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

147 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2017

Finished

May 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

12 to 17 years

Sex

Female participants only

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: * Female * Age 12-17 years * Body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile for age \& sex * Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) \>20 * English speaking * ≥1 first- or second-degree family member with type 2 diabetes (T2D), prediabetes, or gestational diabetes * Good general health Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Type 2 diabetes as indicated by fasting glucose≥126 mg/dL or 2-hour glucose\>200 mg/dL or Hba1c\>=6.5 * Medication affecting mood, weight, cortisol, or insulin sensitivity, including insulin sensitizers (e.g., metformin), anti-depressants, and stimulants * Major psychiatric disorder that, in the opinion of the investigators, would impede study compliance and necessitate more intensive treatment, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, conduct disorder, alcohol and substance abuse, and anorexia/bulimia nervosa * Psychotherapy or structured weight loss program * Active suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression depressive disorder Insulin Resistance Pediatric Obesity type 2 diabetes mellitus

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Adolescent obesity Depression Insulin resistance Insulin sensitivity Type 2 diabetes mellitus TYPE2 diabetes

Talking therapy may lower diabetes risk in depressed teen girls

What the study statuses mean