RCT for Latina Mental Health Using Web-Based Apps

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Depression; Anxiety; Well-Being, Psychological; Mental Health

Treatments: Behavioral: Catalina; Behavioral: Control webpage

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06874790

R01MH137232 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

24-5962

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study compares a choice-driven, interactive, evidence-informed storytelling web-based app intervention with links to resources and treatment (Tx) recommendations (made by a character via her blog) and Tx locator, to a web-based app with links to publicly available informational internet videos, MH resources, and a treatment locator for at least moderately anxious/depressed untreated English and Spanish speaking Latinas to determine if a story-based, character-driven approach is more effective for catalyzing mental health treatment initiation.

Enrollment: 700 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Latina (women who are from or have family ties to Latin America)
• Currently resides in LA or Orange County
• Age 18 and older
• Able to speak, read, and write in English or Spanish
• Score 10 or higher on GAD-7 and/or PHQ-8
• Access to the internet via smartphone, tablet, or computer
• Not currently receiving mental health therapy or pharmacotherapy
• Has not accessed mental health services during the previous 6 months

Exclusion criteria

• Not Latina or Hispanic
• Under age 18

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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700 participants in 2 patient groups

Catalina transmedia web-based app

Experimental group

Description:

Access to Confronting My Emotions/ Enfrentando Mis Emociones (Catalina), an interactive web-based app containing 31 minutes of story based, character-driven videos, featuring evidence-informed Latina characters (Catalina and Veronica) in a relatable story about dealing with depression and anxiety. All features are available 24 hours/day in Spanish and English via a participant's unique link, including access to "Veronica's Blog" linked to the story, and links to resources such as infographics on depression and anxiety, hotlines and helplines, free evidence-based apps, online support groups, SAMHSA's MH service locator plus "Veronica's" recommendation of up to 3 Latinx-serving MH Tx clinics in LA \& Orange Counties where participants can see a primary care physician for referral to MH therapy or pharmacotherapy. Monthly text/email messages will be sent for 9 months to prompt/remind Latinas they can use their unique link to re-watch videos and re-visit Veronica's blog.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Catalina

Links to informational videos

Active Comparator group

Description:

Access to the control web-based app that offers links to 31 minutes of publicly available informational videos specifically about depression and anxiety in Spanish and English (that are not story based and feature no fictionalized characters), available 24 hours/ day via participant's unique link on Chorus. It will provides direct links to 3 public websites: 1) Mental Health America, 2) Anxiety \& Depression Association of America, 3) SAMHSA. All offer even more links to various MH resources, platforms, videos, and to SAMHSA's MH service locator by ZIP Code including to low cost sites for MH Tx.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control webpage