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.