Improvement of Mental Health in Adolescents Using E-health Interventions

Summary

the goal of this cluster randomized controlled trial is to assess the effectiveness of smartphone application in reducing the symptoms of Anxiety and depression among adolescents. The main objectives of this trial are:

1. Primary Objective To develop a smart phone application for reduction in depressive and anxiety symptoms in Pakistani adolescents aged 12-18 years
2. Secondary Objectives

* To determine the effectiveness of a smart phone application in reduction of anxiety symptoms in Pakistani adolescents aged 12-18 years via a randomized controlled trial
* To determine the effectiveness of a smart phone application in reduction of depressive symptoms in Pakistani adolescents aged 12-18 years via a randomized controlled trial
* To determine the effectiveness of a smart phone application in improvements of well-being of Pakistani adolescents aged 12-18 years via a randomized controlled trial

the randomization will occur at the school level for the intervention group and control group.

Students in the intervention group will receive the access to a smartphone application designed to improve the mental health of adolescents, they will be briefed on how to use the application and its advantages. while the students in the control group will receive self-reading pictorial educational leaflets related to mental health improvement.

the researcher will conduct the assessment of depression, anxiety and mental wellbeing using PHQ-A, GAD-7 and WHO-5 at baseline, 1 month and at 3 months to compare if the smartphone application is effective in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety of adolescents and overall improvement in the mental wellbeing.

Conditions

• Mental Disorder in Adolescence
• Depression in Adolescence
• Anxiety Disorders

Interventions

OTHER

A smartphone application

app will have 2 modules: Chill zone and sleep; Chill zone has 9 sub-modules which are meditation, breathing techniques, family time, art time, funny sayings, reframe stress and relax, diet and cooking tips, mini courses and how to become better. The sub-modules of sleep are: wind down, sleep music, storytelling, nature sounds and beautiful nature. These modules will be approved by a clinical psychologist to help people with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Skills learned include emotion recognition, emotional management, behavioral activation (being active), recognizing and challenging unhelpful thoughts and cognitive restructuring to plan for their future.

OTHER

Pictorial educational leaflets

the control group will receive self-reading educational leaflets, the majority of which are pictorial. These leaflets will be approved by a clinical psychologist to help people with symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aga Khan University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Shafquat Rozi, Ph D. · Aga Khan Hospital -Karachi

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-08-01

Primary Completion

2023-10-31

Completion

2023-11-15

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations