Smartphone Application, Mood and Stress

University Hospital Basel

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mood; Smartphone Application; Placebo Effect; Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: No expectancy (control); Behavioral: Prospective and retrospective expectancy; Behavioral: Prospective expectancy; Behavioral: Retrospective expectancy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02365220

UNIBAS-MMH-SMA1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to investigate the placebo effect in a smartphone-based training, ostensibly designed to improve mood and perceived stress by daily exposition to either mock sound or color.

Full description

The overall goal of the outlined study is to investigate the placebo effect in a smartphone-based training, ostensibly designed to improve mood and perceived stress by daily exposition to either mock sound or color. During 14 days, subjects will participate in regular daily training sessions. During another 6 days, subjects will transfer the smartphone-based training to daily life.

Enrollment: 132 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Access to smartphone during study period

Exclusion criteria

• Severe visual impairment
• Dyschromatopsia
• Severe defective hearing
• Regular intake of medication (excl. contraceptives)
• Severe mental disorders

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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132 participants in 4 patient groups

No expectancy (control)

Active Comparator group

Description:

No expectancy instruction with regard to the efficacy of the daily smartphone-based training

Treatment:

Behavioral: No expectancy (control)

Prospective expectancy

Experimental group

Description:

Prospective expectancy instruction ("Training will have an effect on...") with regard to the efficacy of the daily smartphone-based training

Treatment:

Behavioral: Prospective expectancy

Retrospective expectancy

Experimental group

Description:

Retrospective expectancy instruction ("Training already had an effect on...") with regard to the efficacy of the daily smartphone-based training

Treatment:

Behavioral: Retrospective expectancy

Prospective and retrospective expectancy

Experimental group

Description:

Prospective ("Training will have an effect on...") and retrospective ("Training already had an effect on...") expectancy instruction with regard to the efficacy of the daily smartphone-based training

Treatment:

Behavioral: Prospective and retrospective expectancy