Self-Management and Recovery Technology Psychosocial Intervention Trial (SMARTTherapy)

Swinburne University of Technology

Status: Completed

Conditions: Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia; Affective Disorders, Psychotic

Treatments: Behavioral: Health intervention; Behavioral: Social intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02474524

MIRF33 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

2014/119

Details and patient eligibility

About

This project is a component of a broader research program referred to as "Self-Management and Recovery Technology (SMART): Use of online technology to promote self-management and recovery in people with psychosis", which has been funded by the Victorian Department of Health Mental Illness Research Fund (MIRF33). The overall research program is examining the therapeutic potential of using online (Internet-based) educational and multimedia resources in mental health services. It involves the development of a website which can be accessed via an internet browser on a desktop computer, tablet computer, or smartphone. It consists of a series of educational modules containing textual information, exercises, audio, and video clips designed to promote self-management and recovery in people with a history of persisting mental illness.

This particular project (SMART-Therapy) involves a randomised controlled trial examining the use of a discrete 8-session psychosocial intervention delivered in addition to routine care which utilises these online materials. The intervention will involve a mental health worker meeting with the participant with a tablet computer (e.g. iPad) on which online materials can be viewed, and used to guide an interaction with the participant.

The randomised controlled trial will include 148 participants, who will be randomised to receive one of two interventions: (a) meeting with a support worker using the SMART website to guide interaction (health intervention), or (b) meeting with a support worker delivering a social interaction-based control condition (social intervention). In each condition, there will be 8 x 50min face-to-face sessions over 3 months. Assessments will be completed pre-randomisation, and at 3, 6 and 9 months.

The primary hypothesis is that participants randomised to the health intervention will show greater improvement in personal recovery than participants randomised to the social intervention, and that these improvements will be maintained at follow-up (6 and 9 months following intake).

Enrollment: 148 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. diagnosis of a functional psychotic disorder (schizophrenia-related disorder OR bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder with the presence of a severe episode with psychotic features within the past 2 years);
2. sufficient fluency in English to make use of the resources;
3. overall intellectual functioning within normal limits (WTAR estimated IQ>70);

Exclusion criteria (e) change in medication or in-patient admission in the previous 2 months;

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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148 participants in 2 patient groups

Health intervention

Experimental group

Description:

+ treatment as usual

Treatment:

Behavioral: Health intervention

Social intervention

Active Comparator group

Description:

+ treatment as usual

Treatment:

Behavioral: Social intervention