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RecruitingNCT06973759Updated Mar 19, 2026

Adjunctive Bright Light Therapy in Adolescents With Depression and Eveningness

An interventional study of Bright light therapy and Dim red light in Depression, Unipolar, sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong. Recruiting at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 12 Years to 19 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-19.

Sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Nov 2025; still recruiting 11 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
90
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
12 Years to 19 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study examines the efficacy of bright light therapy as a treatment for adolescents diagnosed with unipolar non-seasonal depression who exhibit an evening chronotype.

Read the detailed description

This randomized, placebo-controlled, assessor-blinded trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of bright light therapy (BLT) as a treatment for adolescents with depression and evening chronotype. Eligible participants will be randomized to receive either BLT or dim red light (placebo) daily for 8 weeks. Depression severity, sleep parameters, and circadian markers will be assessed at baseline, during treatment, post-treatment, and at follow-up visits.

02

Conditions studied

  • Depression, Unipolar

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Eveningness
  • Bright light therapy
  • Adolescents
03

In context

Depressive Disorder

4,845 studies on the registry are indexed under Depressive Disorder; 514 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 90 is above the median of 80 across 3,999 interventional studies indexed under Depressive Disorder.

Browse Depressive Disorder studies →

Lead sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,419 studies on the registry; 487 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
12 Years to 19 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Chinese, aged 12-19 years old;
  2. Written informed assent/consent of participation into the study is given by the participant and his/her parent or guardian (for those aged under 18), respectively;
  3. Having a DSM-5 diagnosis of unipolar non-seasonal depression as confirmed by the Chinese version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) psychiatric interview, DSM-5 Seasonal specifier, AND having a score on Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-R) at least 40;
  4. Being classified as evening chronotype according to the score on the reduced Horne-Östberg Morning-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ), i.e. \<12.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. A current diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence; a current or past history of manic or hypomanic episode, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, organic mental disorders, or intellectual disabilities;
  2. Having a clinically significant suicidality (presence of suicidal ideation with a plan or an attempt) as assessed by K-SADS;
  3. Having been enrolled in any other clinical trial investigational products within one month at the entry of the study;
  4. Initiation of or change in antidepressant medication within past 4 weeks;
  5. Having been or is currently receiving any structured psychotherapy;
  6. With hearing or speech deficit;
  7. Night shift worker;
  8. Trans-meridian flight across at least two time zones in the past 3 months and during the study;
  9. Presence of an eye disease, e.g., retinal blindness, severe cataract, glaucoma.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
90 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Bright light therapy group

    Blue-enriched white light

    Device: Bright light therapy

  • Placebo comparator
    Dim red light group

    Dim red light

    Device: Dim red light

Interventions

  • DeviceBright light therapy

    Exposure to blue-enriched white light for 15-30 minutes a day for 8 weeks

  • DeviceDim red light

    Exposure to dim red light for 15-30 minutes a day for 8 weeks.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change of depressive symptoms

    Change in the score of the Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-R), which ranges from 17-113, higher score indicates higher severity of depression.

    Time frame: Soon after the intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change of other clinical symptoms

    Change in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score, which ranges from 0-63, higher score indicates greater depression severity.

    Time frame: Soon after the intervention

  2. Change of other clinical symptoms

    Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, which ranges from 0-21, higher score indicates poorer sleep quality.

    Time frame: Soon after the intervention

  3. Change of other clinical symptoms

    Change in Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF2) score, which will be transformed into T scores (range = 35 to ≥ 90) for interpretion, higher score indicates higher executive functioning.

    Time frame: Soon after the intervention

  4. Change of other clinical symptoms

    Change in KIDCSREEN-27 score, which ranges from 30-135, higher score indicates better life quality and social support.

    Time frame: Soon after the intervention

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 19, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06973759
Lead sponsor
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Responsible party
Joey WY Chan (Clinical Associate Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 15, 2025
Start date
Nov 1, 2025
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 19, 2026

Study contacts

Joey WY Chan
Contact
joeywychan@cuhk.edu.hk
+852 39197647

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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