A randomised double-blind trial of cognitive training for the prevention of psychopathology in at-risk youth

Louise Mewton; Antoinette Hodge; Nicola Gates; Rachel Visontay; Briana Lees; Maree Teesson

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103672

A randomised double-blind trial of cognitive training for the prevention of psychopathology in at-risk youth

Behav Res Ther. 2020 Sep:132:103672. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103672. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Authors

Louise Mewton¹, Antoinette Hodge², Nicola Gates³, Rachel Visontay⁴, Briana Lees⁴, Maree Teesson⁴

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: louisem@unsw.edu.au.
² Child Development Unit, The Children's Hospital, Westmead, Australia.
³ Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

PMID: 32629291
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103672

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of online cognitive training as a means of reducing psychopathology in at-risk youth.

Methods: In a double-blind randomised controlled trial, 228 youths (mean age = 18.6, 74.6% female) were randomly allocated to either an intervention group (n = 114; online cognitive training focused on executive functioning) and a control group (n = 114; online cognitive training focused on other cognitive abilities). Participants were assessed online at baseline, post-training, 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome of the study was overall psychopathology as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were executive functioning ability (assessed using the n-back, trail-making and Stroop tasks), day-to-day functioning and risky drinking.

Results: Mixed model intention-to-treat analyses indicated that psychopathology increased and day-to-day functioning decreased, regardless of intervention group. Those in the intervention group improved more than those in the control group in terms of the n-back task, but this was not statistically significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. There were no statistically significant effects on risky drinking, or the trail-making and Stroop tasks.

Conclusion: This study failed to provide evidence for the efficacy of cognitive training as a stand-alone intervention for psychopathology.

Keywords: Alcohol use; Anxiety; Cognitive training; Depression; Prevention; Youth.