Effectiveness Evaluation of Adapted Version of Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression among University Students of Pakistan

Last registered on October 07, 2026

Pre-Trial

General Information

Title

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0019875

Initial registration date

October 07, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

October 07, 2026, 11:20 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Raazia Israr

Affiliation

Foundation University School of Science and Technology

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2026-08-15

End date

2027-01-31

Keywords

Behavior, Health

Additional Keywords

Depression, Psychology, Behavioral Activation, Depressive symptoms

JEL code(s)

Depression, Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Activation

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Depression is the dominant root cause of disability across the globe and is highly prevalent among youth of Pakistan disrupting their social, occupational and personal relationships. Behavioral activation is influenced by third wave cognitive behavioral therapy and currently widely used treatment for many psychopathologies because of its efficiency, cost-effectiveness, uncomplicated nature. The present research is aimed to assess the effectiveness of the adapted version of the manual by conducting Randomized control Trial (RCT). For this purpose, hybrid approach is used thus, Brief Behavioral Activation treatment manual for depression was adapted using heuristic model for adapting interventions proposed by Castro (2006) and Ecological Validity Model. To study the effectiveness of the adapted treatment, participants was selected after screening for depressive symptoms using Patient Health Questionnare-9. Selected sample was allocated in treatment and control groups with a randomization ratio of 1:1. Mixed ANOVA will be used to assess the results.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Israr, Raazia. 2026. "Effectiveness Evaluation of Adapted Version of Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression among University Students of Pakistan ." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19875-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression- Revised Treatment Manual (BATD-R) was developed by Lejuez et al (2011). It consists of a total of 10 sessions, from which first five sessions are unique and next five sessions are for concept review and treatment termination and also includes post-treatment plan. Session includes considering key life areas, identifying values in every life area, selecting and engagement on daily basis in valued activities, structure and support that is at hand to live a valued life. For the present study its adapted version was used to assess the effectiveness for Pakistani Students.

Intervention Start Date

2026-09-01

Intervention End Date

2027-01-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The depressive symptoms of students in treatment group will be reduced as compared to symptoms of students in control group.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

• Patient’s perspective in work and social adjustment will be enhanced in treatment group as compared to control group at post-intervention.
• Quality of life will be improved at post-intervention in treatment group as compared to control group.
• Engaged Response style will be enhanced in students of treatment group at post-intervention as compared to control group.
• Ruminative response will be reduced in treatment group at post-intervention as compared to control group.

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

A two-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomization done by a computer

Randomization Unit

Students

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

Not applicable

Sample size: planned number of observations

Not applicable

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

22 students in treatment group and 22 students in control group

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name

IRB,FUSST

IRB Approval Date

2026-07-28

IRB Approval Number

FUSST/IRB/209

Analysis Plan