Citation

Lynch FL, Dickerson JF, Clarke GN, Beardslee WR, Weersing VR, Gladstone TRG, Porta G, Brent DA, Mark TL, DeBar LL, Hollon SD, Garber J. Psychiatr. Serv. 2019; 70(4): 279-286.

Affiliation

Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon (Lynch, Dickerson, Clarke, DeBar); Judge Baker Children's Center, Harvard University, Boston (Beardslee); San Diego State University (SDSU)-University of California, San Diego, Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, SDSU, San Diego (Weersing); Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts (Gladstone); Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (Porta); Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh (Brent); Behavioral Health Financing, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (Mark); Department of Psychology (Hollon) and Department of Psychiatry (Garber), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ps.201800144

PMID

30929618

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: Youth depression can be prevented, yet few programs are offered. Decision makers lack cost information. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral prevention program (CBP) versus usual care.

METHODS:: A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted with data from a randomized controlled trial of 316 youths, ages 13-17, randomly assigned to CBP or usual care. Youths were at risk of depression because of a prior depressive disorder or subthreshold depressive symptoms, or both, and had parents with a prior or current depressive disorder. Outcomes included depression-free days (DFDs), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs.

RESULTS:: Nine months after baseline assessment, youths in CBP experienced 12 more DFDs (p=.020) and.018 more QALYs (p=.007), compared with youths in usual care, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $24,558 per QALY. For youths whose parents were not depressed at baseline, CBP youths had 26 more DFDs (p=.001), compared with those in usual care (ICER=$10,498 per QALY). At 33 months postbaseline, youths in CBP had 40 more DFDs (p=.05) (ICER=$12,787 per QALY). At 33 months, CBP youths whose parents were not depressed at baseline had 91 more DFDs (p=.001) (ICER=$13,620 per QALY). For youths with a currently depressed parent at baseline, CBP was not significantly more effective than usual care at either 9 or 33 months, and costs were higher.

CONCLUSIONS:: CBP produced significantly better outcomes than usual care and was particularly cost-effective for youths whose parents were not depressed at baseline. Depression prevention programs could improve youths' health at a reasonable cost; services to treat depressed parents may also be warranted.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescents/adolescence; Cost-effectiveness analysis; Depression; Prevention