New training aims to boost joy in struggling teens
NCT ID NCT07288541
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a group training program called Positive Events Training (PET) for adolescents aged 12-16 who have mild to moderate depressive symptoms. The program teaches teens to recall and imagine positive events more vividly, aiming to increase daily positive emotions and reduce anhedonia (loss of pleasure). 36 participants will be tracked using daily diaries to measure changes in mood and emotional distress.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Positive Events Training (PET) - a group-based behavioral program combining memory and future event specificity training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug way to help at-risk teens feel more positive emotions and build resilience against depression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early-stage trial (36 participants) with no control group comparison yet. The training may not produce lasting changes or may not work for all teens.
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
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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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About 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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12 to 16 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 12-16 years (age) * moderate level of baseline depressive symptoms Exclusion Criteria: /
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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