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Interventions for PSU Among College Students

NCT06750978 · Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 50

Last updated 2026-05-22

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This project proposes to evaluate the feasibility and effects of behavioral intervention strategies on problematic smartphone use among college students. The project proposes to evaluate three behavioral intervention components- self-reflection via actively monitoring phone usage, increasing engagement in non-smartphone activities, and contingency management (i.e., financial incentives) - on short-term and long-term reductions in problematic smartphone use (PSU) among college students.

The research team will develop a mobile application, referred to as the app, to collect data on a subject's daily phone usage and activity engagement. The app will comprise three features, with specific sets of features being activated during different phases.

* Feature 1: The app will autonomously track the time spent on the apps categorized as social media and gaming.
* Feature 2: The app will display the daily amount of usage on social media and gaming apps, with an option for a subject to confirm their acknowledgment of the daily time spent.
* Feature 3: The app will display an option for subject to confirm their engagement in the alternative activities as planned.

Conditions

  • Problematic Smartphone Use

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Self-reflection

Participants will be guided to identify goals of daily PSU reduction. o Participants will be guided to actively review their smartphone usage data each day.

BEHAVIORAL

Self-reflection + Contingency management

Participants will be guided to identify goals of daily PSU reduction and actively review their smartphone usage data each day. Participants will receive an incentive ($8) if they meet the daily PSU reduction goal.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Wen Anthony, PhD · Rutgers University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-12-18
Primary Completion
2026-06-30
Completion
2026-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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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 NCT06750978 on ClinicalTrials.gov