(PS5-D80) Resilience Training in Transdiagnostically At-risk Adolescents with Subclinical Psychotic Symptoms: A Single-arm Pilot Study

Subclinical psychotic symptoms, known as “psychotic experiences” (PEs), have a prevalence rate of 13-17% in children and 5-10% in adults and have been associated with a significant risk for developing psychopathology including psychotic and mood disorders, and are often comorbid with depression and suicidal ideation (SI). Although PEs are prevalent and associated with high levels of distress in youth, there are no evidence-based interventions available for this population. Therefore, we piloted an 8-week, group-based resilience-enhancing intervention for adolescents called Living In Families with our Emotions (LIFE), which also includes three parent sessions, that aims to foster protective skills such as mindfulness and emotion regulation, in these at-risk youth. We measured the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention for adolescents with PEs (n=15) and explored intervention-related changes in symptoms.

Feasibility and acceptability were measured using participant attendance and a feedback form, and symptoms were assessed at baseline and following the intervention. 53% students attended all eight sessions and 100% completed at least five. Following the program, 87% of students reported that they were “glad they participated” and 73% said they would “recommend the program to their friends”. Depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children: M_Δ=-7.33 t=2.7, p=0.018; ASEBA Youth Self-Report, Depressive Problems Sub-scale: M_Δ=-1.5 t=2.2, p=0.047) and SI (Concise Health Risk Tracking Scale: M_Δ=-5.87, t=3.1, p=0.007) were significantly lower following the intervention.

These findings provide preliminary evidence that LIFE had high feasibility and acceptability and can mitigate symptoms of depression and SI in adolescents experiencing PEs. A randomized control trial with long-term follow-up will be necessary to test the efficacy of this intervention in reducing the severity, or delaying or preventing the onset of, psychiatric disorders in adolescents with PEs.