Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing depression among adolescents: The locale perspective

The present paper attempted to answer the question whether locale differences are obtained in determining the relative effectiveness of CBT for rural and urban adolescents suffering from depression. Initially 480 adolescents were tested with Depression checklist and TS Depression scale to identity the depression affected cases. The final screening led to the identification of 15 depression affected cases (Urban =7 & Rural =8). Both the groups were given CBT intervention in six separate sessions. After the CBT sessions were over, depression among the participants was again measured and the scores of the two groups were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The two groups were found to benefit almost similarly from CBT training in managing the depression related problems as faced by them. It became evident that CBT is equally effective in reducing the depression among adolescents disregarding their locale or place of living. The results are thoroughly discussed and the implications of the findings are underlined. Besides it, the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also indicated.