ESTOCMA: Mental Health Application for Enhancing Mental Health Literacy About Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

University of Valencia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Treatments: Device: Use of a mobile health application until app completion

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04777292

RTI2018-098349-B-I00 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

29401

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the study is to analyze the efficacy of a mobile health application (app) designed to increase mental health literacy, help seeking attitudes and reduce stigma associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. A randomized controlled trial with crossover design will be carried out in non-clinical population to assess pre-post changes in levels mental health literacy, help seeking attitudes and stigma through app completion (an estimation of 10 days). Moreover, the stability of the changes will be tested at 3 months. Participants from community will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: undertaking immediate-use or delayed use. We hypothesized that after using the app, participants will have a greater knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder, will be more prone to ask for help in case of showing OCD symptoms, and will show lower stigma attitudes and social distance.

Full description

Stigmatizing attitudes are a problem associated to mental disorders. In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) stigma has been associated to shame, guilty and delay asking for help. The aim of the study is to analyze the efficacy of a mobile health application (app) designed to increase mental health literacy, help seeking attitudes and reduce stigma associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The app has been named esTOCma. It consists in a game in which participants are asked to fight against the OCD stigma monster through ten missions. Participants have to liberate 10 characters who are prisoners of EsTOCma monster. A randomized controlled trial with crossover design will be carried out in non-clinical population to assess pre-post changes in levels mental health literacy, help seeking attitudes and stigma through app completion. Participants from community will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: undertaking immediate-use (experimental group) or delayed-use (wait list control group) of the intervention through the esTOCma mobile app. Participants will be randomized through the app either to the experimental or control group. Then, within each group, participants will be randomized to one of six vignettes describing different obsessive-compulsive contents, and will be asked to complete baseline questionnaires (T0). Participants in the experimental group will be allowed to start using the app immediately after completing T0 and until completing the game (approximately 10 days). Immediately after finishing the app they will be asked to complete the post intervention assessment (T1), and then, 10 days after they will be asked to complete a follow up (T2). Participants in the control group will work as a waiting list comparison, in this sense, after completing the baseline assessment (T0), they will not be allowed to use the app. Then, days after completing the baseline questionnaires will be asked to complete again the baseline assessment (T1), and then, they will be allowed to begin the game until completing it. After, they will be asked to complete the post intervention assessment (T2). All participants will be asked to complete again the questionnaires 3 months after the post intervention assessment.

Enrollment: 228 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• having 18 years old or more
• mobile phone

Exclusion criteria

• having an obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis or suspictious of having OCD

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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228 participants in 2 patient groups

Immediate-use

Experimental group

Description:

Immediate use of esTOCma mobile app. Participants will use the mobile application immediately after the baseline assessment (T0) during approximately 10 days or until app completion.

Treatment:

Device: Use of a mobile health application until app completion

Delayed use

Active Comparator group

Description:

Delayed use of esTOCma mobile app. Participants will start using the app 10 days after the first assessment (T0), and immediately after the T1 assessment.

Treatment:

Device: Use of a mobile health application until app completion