Pilot Study of Internet-Delivered Skills Training to Prevent Depression in Adults with Childhood Trauma and Mild Depression

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to pilot test an internet-delivered program called Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation i-STAIR to help prevent depression in adults who have experienced adverse childhood events and show early signs of depression. The study evaluates whether i-STAIR can improve emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and reduce symptoms of depression and PTSD compared to online general psychoeducation. The goal is to see if benefits last three months after the intervention. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups the i-STAIR group or an online general psychoeducation group. The i-STAIR group completes eight weekly, one-hour sessions focused on managing emotions and improving interpersonal skills through topics like identifying feelings, distress tolerance, and role plays related to power dynamics. The psychoeducation group attends five online sessions over eight weeks covering the link between childhood experiences and depression, plus healthy lifestyle advice, along with three weeks of self-guided activities. During the 20-week study, participants complete assessments at enrollment, during the intervention, post-intervention at 8 weeks, and follow-up at 3 months. These include questionnaires measuring depression, emotion regulation, social support, PTSD symptoms, work productivity, and session feedback. All assessments and the intervention are delivered online. The study is conducted by the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, and runs from October 2025 to December 2028.

A Pilot Study to Examine the Efficacy of Internet-Delivered Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (i-STAIR) for Individuals With Adverse Childhood Experiences and Subsyndromal Depression