Engagement Strategies for Digital Mental Health Care

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)

+2 other locations

Overseen byMichael Pullmann, PhD

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: University of Washington

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?This proposal is a partnership between Mental Health America (MHA), a nonprofit mental health advocacy and resource organization, Talkspace (TS), a for-profit, online digital psychotherapy organization, and the University of Washington's Schools of Medicine and Computer Science Engineering (UW). The purpose of this partnership is to create a digital mental health research platform leveraging MHA and TS's marketing platforms and consumer base to describe the characteristics of optimal engagement with digital mental health treatment, and to identify effective, personalized methods to enhance motivation to engage in digital mental health treatment in order to improve mental health outcomes. These aims will be met by identifying and following at least 100,000 MHA and TS consumers over the next 4 years, apply machine learning approaches to characterizing client engagement subtypes, and apply micro-randomized trials to study the effectiveness of motivational enhancement strategies and response to digital mental health treatment.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for Mental Health America and Talkspace consumers seeking digital mental health services. Participants must be aged 14 or older, speaking English or Spanish. Adults can join focus groups if bilingual. For later phases, participants need to be over 18 and have certain scores on depression/anxiety questionnaires.

Inclusion Criteria

I am 18 or older, experience significant stress or anxiety, and speak English or Spanish.

I am 18 or older and speak English or Spanish.

I am 14 or older, seeking mental health services, and speak English or Spanish.

+1 more

Exclusion Criteria

I am under 18, speak English or Spanish, and have low depression or anxiety scores.

I am under 14 and do not speak English or Spanish.

I am under 18 and do not speak both English and Spanish.

+1 more

Participant Groups

The study aims to understand how people engage with digital mental health treatments and find personalized ways to boost this engagement. It will track over 100,000 users, use machine learning to analyze engagement patterns, and conduct mini-trials on motivational strategies.

12Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Study 2, DIY tool without AIExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants in the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tool without Artificial Intelligence (AI) group will be instructed to use the DIY tool 3 times a week. They will receive surveys from W1 to W4 and follow-up surveys in W5 and at the end of W8.

Group II: Study 2, DIY tool with AIExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants in the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tool with Artificial Intelligence (AI) group will be instructed to use the DIY tool with AI 3 times a week. They will receive surveys from W1 to W4 and follow-up surveys in W5 and at the end of W8.

Group III: Study 2, ControlExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants in the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) control group will receive psychoeducation materials in W0. They will view content as usual (no DIY) and will receive surveys from W1 to W4 and follow-up surveys in W5 and at the end of W8.

Group IV: Study 1, Tailored Response + Tailored Resources by Desired ResourcesExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

This condition will feature a response tailored to screening status (above or below criteria for depression) and expressed need for mental health support, and will receive resources tailored to a survey question that asks participants what they would like to do next on the website after screening is complete (e.g., "Learn more about depression", "Take another mental health screening").

Group V: Study 1, Tailored Response + Generic ResourcesExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

This condition will feature a response tailored to screening status (above or below criteria for depression) and expressed need for mental health support (e.g., "We're so glad to hear you're open to exploring how to improve your mental health. People who score with minimum or mild depression often notice that symptoms can get worse in the weeks after taking a Depression test.") They will also receive the 4 generic resources.

Group VI: Study 1, Single question plus full DIYExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants will be randomized into one of three content page conditions. In the single question plus full Do-It-Yourself (DIY) condition, a single question plus the full DIY tool will be embedded within the content page.

Group VII: Study 1, Generic Response + Tailored Resources by Desired ResourcesExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

This condition will feature the response-as-usual on Mental Health America (MHA)'s website and 4 resources tailored to a survey question that asks participants what they would like to do next on the website after screening is complete (e.g., "Learn more about depression", "Take another mental health screening")

Group VIII: Study 1, Generic Response + Tailored Resources by DemographicsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

This condition will feature the response-as-usual on Mental Health America (MHA)'s website and resources tailored to two demographics. People who endorse being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ) will receive 4 resources associated with LGBTQ issues. People who endorse being 8-17, 18-24, 25-44, or 45+ years of age will receive 4 resources used by people in those age groups. If someone enters both age and LGBTQ status, they will be provided with 2 resources tailored to age and 2 resources tailored to LGBTQ status, randomly chosen.

Group IX: Study 1, Generic Response + Generic ResourcesExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

The Generic Response + Generic Resources will feature the response-as-usual on Mental Health America (MHA)'s website and the four generic resource pages on MHA's website. Participants will be randomized into this condition, and participants who do not respond to the demographics survey or the Next Steps survey items will be placed in this condition.

Group X: Study 1, Embedded single-question DIYExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants who visit content pages on the Mental Health America (MHA) website after completing screening will receive stage 2 randomization into one of three content page conditions. In the embedded single-question Do-It-Yourself (DIY) condition, a single DIY question will be embedded within the content page.

Group XI: Study 1, Embedded full DIY within content pageExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Participants will be randomized into one of three content page conditions. In the embedded full Do-It-Yourself (DIY) condition, the full DIY tool will be embedded within the content page.

Group XII: Study 1, Content-as-usualExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The content page will not include any embedded Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tool.