Efficacy and executive function of solution focused brief therapy on adolescent depression：A study of prefrontal hemodynamic functions using fNIRS

Abstract

Abstract To explore the efficacy and executive function of solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) on adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 129 adolescents with MDD were recruited, of whom 28 received solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT group) and 25 received pcychodynamic psychotherapy (AC group). Executive function, depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline (T0), at the time of the third intervention (T3), the sixth intervention (T6), and the 10th intervention (T10). After the third intervention, the scores of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 of the participants in the SFBT group decreased significantly, which had the cumulative effect at the 6th and 10th interventions. The verbal fluency task (VFT) performances of the SFBT group participants yielded significantly higher scores after the third intervention and remained increasing at the 6th and 10th interventions. The AC group steadily decreased after the intervention. fNIRS data showed that the mean oxy-Hb values of channels 3, 11 and 12 were gradually significantly increased in the SFBT group than the AC group after 10th interventions. SFBT might improve depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as executive function of adolescent depression.