Compassion-Based Family Intervention for Adolescents

Adolescents with emotional disorders (such as depression or anxiety) often experience distress that also affects their parents, creating a cycle of stress within the family. This study tests a new compassion-based family intervention designed to help both adolescents and their parents. The program includes six weekly sessions (120 minutes each). The study will recruit 60 parent-adolescent dyads. Half will receive the intervention immediately; the other half will wait 6 weeks before receiving it. We will measure changes in depression, anxiety, parenting stress, family relationships, and - using brain imaging (fNIRS) and heart rate monitors - how the intervention affects parent-child emotional and physiological synchrony. Assessments will take place before the intervention, right after, and at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. The goal is to see whether this family-focused compassion program can improve mental health for both adolescents and their parents.

NCT Number	NCT07138417
Lead Sponsor	Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital
Conditions	Emotional Disorder
Enrollment	60 participants
Start Date	2025-08-30
Primary Completion	2027-06 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-07 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-08