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Depression, Trauma, and Health: Efficacy of an mHealth App for Symptom Self-Management in College Students

NCT04094792 · Status: WITHDRAWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Last updated 2022-01-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The study is designed to examine the efficacy of a mobile application heart rate variability biofeedback exercise on heart rate variability and depression.

The main objective of this study is to assess the Breather app manufactured by Happify, Inc., as a tool for improving levels of depression and heart rate variability in college students.Happify™ Breather is a mobile app that provides users with HRV biofeedback aimed at improving mental health and wellness. Breather uses HRV sensors to help users control breathing, leading to calm and relaxation. The more relaxed users are, the more visually reinforcing scene elements will appear in the underwater environment of the game. Breather uses an optical sensor in a smartphone camera. During app use, users are cued by the app to breathe at 6 cycles/minute using a breath pacer. When the smartphone camera flash is illuminated, color signal changes are measured from the fingertip pressed to the camera lens.

The study population is college students who score in the clinical range on the PHQ-9. Secondary outcomes include anxiety, somatoform symptoms, and app adherence.

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

Happify Breather App

Subjects in the intervention group will be cued to breathe at 6 breaths per minute and will receive real time heart rate variability biofeedback. As they increase HRV, screen elements will become more visually appealing.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Happify Inc.

    collaborator INDUSTRY

  • University of Kentucky

    collaborator OTHER

  • Donna Schuman

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
45 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-11-05
Primary Completion
2022-05-01
Completion
2022-06-01
FDA Device
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04094792 on ClinicalTrials.gov