Mobile Cognitive Behavior Therapy Targeting Anxiety Disorders

Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms

Treatments: Behavioral: Loss Framed; Behavioral: Maya mobile app; Behavioral: Social Support; Behavioral: Gain Framed

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05130281

1803019086

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to examine different ways of motivating people to make use of Maya, a mobile cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) program for adolescents and young adults experiencing anxiety symptoms, and to assess whether social supports are as efficacious, or more efficacious, than other non-monetary incentives. Subjects will use the Maya app for at least 20 minutes per day, 2 days per week, for 6 weeks. Assessments will include a weekly check in with a member of the research team, questionnaires, and an optional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) recording.

Full description

There is a growing need for easily accessed anxiety treatments designed for young adults. Mobile app-based interventions can be disseminated more broadly than traditional psychosocial interventions and may be particularly appealing to this age group, which uses mobile devices frequently. Mobile apps can also collect real-time data about patient symptom severity and provide tailored, in-the-moment coping strategies.

This study aims to examine different ways of motivating people to make use of Maya, a mobile cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) app for adolescents and young adults experiencing anxiety symptoms, and to assess whether social supports are as efficacious, or more efficacious, than other non-monetary incentives. Young adults with anxiety will be randomized to one of three conditions: a social support condition, a gain-framed condition in which participants can earn "points" for completing their assigned sessions, and a loss-framed condition in which participants lose "points" for failing to complete their assigned sessions. Subjects will use the Maya app for at least 20 minutes per day, 2 days per week, for 6 weeks and will complete assessments at baseline, week 3, week 6 (end of treatment), and a follow-up assessment at week 12. Subjects may also choose to complete an optional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) recording at the baseline and end of treatment (week 6).

Enrollment: 59 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Between the ages of 18 and 25
• Primary diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, as determined by a score of 4 on the Clinical Severity Rating from the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS)

Exclusion criteria

• Score of < 4 on the ADIS
• Primary psychiatric diagnosis other than an anxiety disorder
• Currently in cognitive behavioral therapy outside of the study
• Change in dose of a psychiatric medication in the past 12 weeks
• Intent or plan to attempt suicide

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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59 participants in 3 patient groups

Social Support

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive treatment with the Maya app in conjunction with social support incentives for 6 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Social Support

Behavioral: Maya mobile app

Gain Framed

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive treatment with the Maya app in conjunction with gain-framed incentives for 6 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Gain Framed

Behavioral: Maya mobile app

Loss Framed

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive treatment with the Maya app in conjunction with loss-framed incentives for 6 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Maya mobile app

Behavioral: Loss Framed