Graduation Year

2014

Degree Type

Open Access Capstone

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing

First Advisor

Beverly Hart

Department Affiliation

Nursing

Second Advisor

Donna J. Corley

Department Affiliation

Nursing

Third Advisor

Ida L. Slusher

Department Affiliation

Nursing

Abstract

BACKGROUND: With the incidence of 3% of children and 6% of adolescents diagnosed with depression, treatment appropriate for this population is needed. Provision of mental health care is limited due to barriers of access such as transportation, parental consent, and availability of services in the adolescent’s environment such as the school setting. OBJECTIVES: To decrease the depressive symptoms and increase the self-confidence perceptions of adolescents in a high school setting utilizing a cognitive-behavioral skills enhancing, seven-session intervention called COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment).

STUDY DESIGN: The project was an evidence-based nurse practitioner project utilizing pre- and post- intervention assessment tools (Beck Youth Inventory II and Healthy Lifestyle Beliefs Scale). The project intervention was based on Cognitive Behavior therapy (CBT) principles of the relationship between thinking, feeling, and behavior. A program (COPE TEEN) was the framework for the interventions implementing CBT principles for adolescents.

RESULTS: A majority of the adolescent students reported positive outcomes from the study in reducing their depressive symptoms and increasing their perception of self-confidence. The project did not show a statistically significant difference but did demonstrate clinically significant improvement in behavior and perception of self-confidence by the adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS: The COPE TEEN program provides tools for the adolescent to learn effective coping skills to demonstrate clinical improvement in depressive symptoms and effective coping skills.

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