JoyPop Mobile Mental Health App With Youth
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age12-17
SponsorLakehead University
About this trial
Youth in Canada are in need of novel, innovative approaches to support their mental health and wellbeing. Within this age group, research suggests rates of several mental health difficulties and related hospitalizations have increased over recent decades. These challenges are exacerbated in rural communities, such as in Northwestern Ontario, where youth access mental health services less frequently and face longer wait times than those in more urban areas. Such limited access and extended waits can exacerbate symptoms, prolong distress, and increase the risk for adverse outcomes. In partnership with St. Joseph Care Group and Thunder Bay Counselling Centre, the investigators are evaluating the impact of a mental health app (JoyPop) as a tool for youth waiting for mental health services. The JoyPop app was developed to support improved emotion regulation - a fundamental difficulty for youth presenting with mental health challenges and an ability still undergoing maturation during this developmental period. A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the app compared to usual practice while youth aged 12-17 are waiting for mental health services.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Youth must be on the wait-list for mental health services at St. Joseph's Care Group or Thunder Bay Counselling Centre and be between 12-17 years old.
Eligible youth will also need to be available to attend a virtual or in-person orientation session.
In order to download the JoyPop app, participants will need access to an iOS device (e.g., iPhone, iPad). Refurbished iPhones containing just the JoyPop app will be provided to participants to use for the duration of the trial if they do not have access to their own.
Disqualifiers
None
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Usual Practice + JoyPop
BehavioralParticipants will be asked to use the app at least twice daily but will otherwise not be provided with requirements related to feature or total usage.
Treatment groups
110 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Usual Practice + JoyPopExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Usual PracticeNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Change in emotion regulation (overall)
Emotion regulation will be assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form. Total scores range from 18 to 90 with higher scores indicating greater difficulties in emotion regulation.
Time frame
Time Frame: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)2
Change in emotion regulation (strategies)
Emotion regulation (strategies) will be assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form strategies subscale. Total scores range from 3 to 15 with higher scores indicating greater difficulties.
Time frame
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)3
Change in emotion regulation (non-acceptance)
Emotion regulation (non-acceptance) will be assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form non-acceptance subscale. Total scores range from 3 to 15 with higher scores indicating greater difficulties.
Time frame
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)4
Change in emotion regulation (impulse)
Emotion regulation (impulse) will be assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form impulse subscale. Total scores range from 3 to 15 with higher scores indicating greater difficulties.
Time frame
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)Secondary outcomes
1
Change in psychological distress
Psychological distress will be assessed with the total score for all items on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21. Total scores range from 0 to 63 with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress.
Time frame
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)2
Change in depressive symptoms
Depressive symptoms will be assessed with the Depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21. Total scores range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptoms.
Time frame
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)3
Change in anxious symptoms
Anxious symptoms will be assessed with the Anxiety subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21. Total scores range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater anxious symptoms.
Time frame
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)4
Change in stress
Stress will be assessed with the Stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21. Total scores range from 0 to 21 with higher scores indicating greater stress symptoms.
Time frame
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 will be administered at baseline (pre), after 2 weeks (mid), and after 4 weeks (post)Other outcomes
1
App quality (overall)
App quality (overall) will be assessed with the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. Total scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating greater quality.
Time frame
User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale will be administered to the intervention group after 4 weeks (post)2
App quality (engagement)
App quality (engagement) will be assessed with the Engagement subscale of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. Total scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating greater quality (engagement).
Time frame
User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale will be administered to the intervention group after 4 weeks (post)3
App quality (functionality)
App quality (functionality) will be assessed with the Functionality subscale of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. Total scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating greater quality (functionality).
Time frame
User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale will be administered to the intervention group after 4 weeks (post)4
App quality (aesthetics)
App quality (aesthetics) will be assessed with the Aesthetics subscale of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. Total scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating greater quality (aesthetics).
Time frame
User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale will be administered to the intervention group after 4 weeks (post)Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov