Evaluating the Effectiveness of a School-based Stepped Care Treatment Model for Adolescent Depression in Pakistan

This study aims to test the effectiveness of a stepped-care model to reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents in school settings in Pakistan. The study will examine whether the universal intervention, delivered by non-specialists, can reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents after 3 months. For adolescents who do not improve with universal intervention, the study will assess whether a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based guided self-help app can provide additional support as a second-step intervention. Six hundred adolescents aged 13-15 from 40 schools in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, will take part. The study will determine which interventions work best and for which students to reduce depressive symptoms in school settings in Pakistan.

NCT Number	NCT07399314
Lead Sponsor	Global Institute of Human Development Collaborators: National Ministry of Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Institute of Psychiatry, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University
Conditions	Depression Anxiety Disorder, Psychological Distress, Well-Being, Psychological
Enrollment	600 participants
Start Date	2025-11-13
Primary Completion	2026-10-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-10-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-05