Telehealth Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth at Risk for Psychosis
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age14-25
SponsorIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
About this trial
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of telehealth interventions for individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR). Psychosis typically emerges during late adolescence or early adulthood, significantly impacting long-term functioning. While CHR programs have the potential to reduce illness severity, individuals often face barriers such as stigma and limited access to services. Telehealth interventions could address these barriers and improve treatment accessibility and engagement. The study will focus on Group and Family-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family-Based CBT, and individual CBT, adapted for telehealth delivery (GF-CBT-TH, F-CBT-TH, and I-CBT-TH). Participants aged 14-25 who meet CHR criteria will be randomly assigned to one of these interventions. Feasibility will be measured by recruitment rate, attendance, and retention. The study will assess the impact of the interventions on cognitive biases, social connectedness, family emotional climate, and proficiency in CBT skills. The three intervention groups will be compared in terms of psychosocial functioning, symptom severity, rates of remission from CHR, and rates of transition to psychosis. Additionally, factors like patient treatment preference, family emotional climate, and sociodemographic factors will be explored as potential moderators of treatment outcomes. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with participants and clinicians to inform dissemination efforts.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age 14-25
Ability to participate in assessments and treatment in English
Meets criteria for psychosis-risk on SIPS
Stable on medications; no changes within 1 month prior to enrollment
Disqualifiers
Intellectual disability (IQ<70)
Medical condition known to cause psychosis
Moderate or severe substance use disorder and active use within the past 30 days.
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
CBT Skills Group for CHR Youth
BehavioralCBT skills group is designed to boost peer support, reduce isolation, normalize psychotic-like experiences to lessen distress, reduce cognitive biases, facilitate positive beliefs, and enhance reasoning and decision-making. CBT skills group uses "CBT to Prevent Paranoia" manual to teach individuals to make adaptive appraisals of their experiences (e.g. voices and other cognitive intrusions) to prevent the perception of such events as threatening.
Individual CBT sessions
BehavioralCBT skills learned in group are personalized in individual sessions focused on: a) facilitating learning of CBT skills; b) tailoring CBT skills to personal goals; c) facilitating successful interaction with peers in the group; and d) providing academic and vocational support. Youth may opt to invite family members to join individual sessions as needed.
CBT Skills Group for Families
BehavioralFamily members are taught the same CBT skills that are taught to CHR youth to facilitate use of CBT skills at home. Family members also learn how to prompt CHR youth to use CBT skills through effective communication, such as empathic listening and encouraging alternative explanations. CBT skills group for family members uses a combination of didactic learning (skills are described in "CBT Skills for Families" manual and demonstrated via video examples) and practice (skills are role-played). Youth attend one group session and one individual session per week, and family members attend one group session per week.
Treatment groups
72 Participants
are divided into 3 treatment groupsGroup A: Group and Family-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GF-CBT-TH)Experimental treatment 3 interventions
Group B: Family-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (F-CBT-TH)Experimental treatment 2 interventions
Group C: Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT-TH)Active comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
The Global Functioning: Role (GFR) Scale
The Global Functioning: Role (GFR) scale, clinician administered scales, derived from the GAF format. The GFR scale anchor points refer to performance in school, work, or as a homemaker, depending on their primary role. The GFS scale assesses quantity and quality of peer relationships, level of peer conflict, age appropriate intimate relationships, and involvement with family members. Ratings on a 10-point scale (1= Extreme Role Dysfunction to 10 = Superior Role Functioning) with higher scores representing better role functioning.
Time frame
Up to week 282
Global Functioning: Social (GFS) Scale
The Global Functioning: Social (GFS) scales, clinician administered scales, derived from the GAF format. The GFS scale assesses quantity and quality of peer relationships, level of peer conflict, age appropriate intimate relationships, and involvement with family members. The GFS scale scores range from 1 to 10 with higher scores representing better social functioning.
Time frame
Up to week 28Secondary outcomes
1
The Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes (SIPS)
Symptom severity will be measured by SIPS, which consists of five positive-symptoms subscales (Unusual thought content/ delusional ideas, Suspiciousness/persecutory ideas, Grandiosity, Perceptual abnormalities/hallucinations, and Disorganized communication), as well as subscales for negative, disorganization, and general symptoms. SIPS will also be used to compare the three arms on rates of remission from CHR and number of transitions to psychosis. There are 19 items on the SIPS. Each item is scored 0-6. There are 5 positive symptom items (range=0-30), 6 negative symptom items (range=0-36), 4 disorganization symptom items (range=0-24), and 4 general symptom items (range=0-24). The range of scores is 0-114. A lower score represents more favorable outcomes.
Time frame
Up to week 282
Peters' Delusions Inventory (PDI)
The Peters' Delusions Inventory (PDI), a self-report scale measuring the presence of 21 common delusional thoughts and the distress, preoccupation, and conviction associated with each belief. The Peters Delusional Inventory (PDI) assesses the presence and severity of delusional beliefs. It is used to measure the intensity and conviction of delusions in individuals experiencing psychosis or related conditions. The PDI consists of a series of statements that the respondent rates based on their agreement or disagreement. The PDI includes a total of 21 items, and each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. There are 3 subscales: Distress, preoccupation and conviction. Higher scores on the PDI indicate a greater intensity and conviction of delusional beliefs. The scale ranges from 0 to 336, with 0 indicating no endorsement of delusion.
Time frame
Up to week 283
Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases
Cognitive biases will be assessed using the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases, a self-report scale that measures cognitive biases across the following sub-scales: Jumping to Conclusions Bias, Belief Inflexibility Bias, Attention for Threat Bias, External Attribution Bias, Social Cognition Problems, Subjective Cognitive Problems, and Safety Behaviors. The scale ranges from 42 to 294, with higher scores indicating higher cognitive biases .
Time frame
Up to week 284
Social Connectedness Scale Revised
Social connectedness will be assessed using the Social Connectedness Scale Revised, a 20-item self-report scale that measures the degree to which one feels connected to their social environment. The scale ranges from 20 to 120, with higher scores indicating greater social connectedness.
Time frame
Up to week 28Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Lead sponsor
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov