Supplementing Brief Psychotherapy With a Mobile App
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Summary
The aim of this study is to determine whether learning three skills for managing negative emotions and receiving reminders via smartphone to practice these skills reduces how often and how intensely one experiences emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.
Description
This study is a companion project to NCT05848089. The present study is a two-arm parallel design RCT to test the efficacy of using ecological momentary intervention (EMI) to deliver therapeutic content based on the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) - an evidence-based transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that focuses on delivering adaptive skills for managing strong emotions. Participants in this study will be 50 adult psychiatric inpatients with recent suicidal thoughts or behaviors (STBs). Participants will be randomized to receive e…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * adult status (18+ years), * a recent suicide attempt or any report of current suicidal ideation, * the ability to speak and write English fluently, ownership of and consistent access to an internet-capable smartphone (e.g., an iPhone or Android phone), and Exclusion criteria: \- the presence of any factor that impairs an individual\'s ability to provide informed consent and comprehend and effectively participate in the study including: an inability to speak or write English fluently, the presence of gross cognitive impairment due to florid psychosis, intellectual d…
Interventions
- BehavioralEcological momentary assessment (EMA)
4x/day brief smartphone-based EMA surveys assessing negative emotions and STBs
- BehavioralTreatment as usual (TAU)
TAU (or usual care) during hospitalization and the 28-day post-discharge period
- BehavioralBrief skills sessions plus EMI skills practice prompts
(1) Three brief treatment sessions delivering core cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills (mindful emotion awareness, cognitive flexibility, and changing emotional behaviors) (during hospitalization), (2) a discretionary booster session to reinforce treatment session content (that may be offered after discharge via either phone or telehealth), and (3) ecological momentary intervention (EMI) prompts to engage in guided skills practice exercises via smartphone
Location
- Rutgers University Behavioral HealthcarePiscataway, New Jersey