Text Messages for Stress

Overseen By Simon Goldberg, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of this study is to determine whether providing small amounts of digital support impacts students in the Art and Science of Human Flourishing (ASHF) course. Approximately 300 participants will be enrolled and can expect to be on study for up to 4 months.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the idea that Text Messages for Stress is an effective treatment?

The available research shows that text messaging programs can help people change their health behaviors, which suggests they can be effective for stress management. One study highlights that SMS interventions can support health behaviors and may be more effective than other computerized methods. Another study indicates that SMS can be a valuable tool for mental health patients, assisting in treatment and recovery. Additionally, SMS has been shown to reduce anxiety in surgical patients' families, which implies it can help manage stress in other contexts as well. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

What safety data exists for text message interventions?

The literature indicates that text messaging interventions are generally considered safe, with no reports of adverse events such as misreading or misinterpreting data, transmitting inaccurate data, losing communication cues, privacy issues, or message delivery failures. However, there is a noted need for personalized messages to better meet individual needs. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Is the treatment 'Text Messages' a promising treatment for stress?

Yes, text messages are a promising treatment for stress. They can provide daily support and have been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, especially during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Text messaging is a personal and efficient way to deliver support and encourage positive health behaviors. ^{2 6 9 10 11}

Research Team

Simon Goldberg, PhD

Principal Investigator

Center for Healthy Minds

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for students enrolled in the Art and Science of Human Flourishing course who are interested in seeing if digital support can help manage stress. Specific eligibility details aren't provided, so it's assumed that all students in this course may participate unless further criteria are specified.

Inclusion Criteria

Currently enrolled in ASHF course

Exclusion Criteria

N/A

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Text Messages (Behavioural Intervention)

Trial Overview The study is testing whether receiving text messages offering support has a positive effect on the well-being of students taking the ASHF course. Around 300 participants will be involved, with the study lasting up to four months.

Participant Groups

Group I: Microsupport Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: No Microsupport Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,249

Recruited

3,255,000+

Findings from Research

Text messaging programs can effectively help individuals change health behaviors, leveraging automated and interactive messages to guide users through the behavior change process.

The authors provide a structured guide for developing these programs, emphasizing the importance of formative research, design, pretesting, and revision to ensure the program meets the needs of the target audience.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developing and Pretesting a Text Messaging Program for Health Behavior Change: Recommended Steps. Abroms, LC., Whittaker, R., Free, C., et al.[2022]

Text messaging (SMS) is a highly effective and personal way to deliver behavioral health interventions remotely, leveraging the widespread use of cell phones globally.

Current studies indicate that SMS interventions can successfully promote healthy behaviors and may be more effective than other computerized methods, highlighting the need for future research to optimize SMS features for individual user engagement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Message Behavioral Interventions: From Here to Where? Suffoletto, B.[2022]

SMS (text messaging) is a widely accessible communication tool that can be effectively utilized for health-related messaging, particularly in mental health care.

Technology-delivered interventions like SMS can support mental health patients in their treatment and recovery, providing a valuable resource for both patients and clinicians.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Short message service can be a promising tool for psychiatric patients and clinicians. Vernig, PM., Repique, RJ.[2015]

A web-based SMS system was implemented in the operating room, involving 322 participants who received a total of 685 text messages during the pre-, intra-, and post-operative periods.

The use of SMS significantly reduced family anxiety and improved satisfaction regarding patient care, highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing communication in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reducing the anxiety of surgical patient's families access short message service. Huang, F., Liu, SC., Shih, SM., et al.[2018]

Parents of overweight and obese children generally find text messaging a promising and acceptable method to support healthy behavior changes, preferring it over traditional communication methods like paper or email.

The study revealed that parents would appreciate receiving text messages 2-3 times a week, especially if the messages are endorsed by their child's doctor and include personalized, actionable strategies for behavior change.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Leveraging text messaging and mobile technology to support pediatric obesity-related behavior change: a qualitative study using parent focus groups and interviews. Sharifi, M., Dryden, EM., Horan, CM., et al.[2021]

A systematic review of 12 studies involving text messaging interventions for behavior change found that 8 out of 9 sufficiently powered studies supported its effectiveness in promoting health behavior changes over periods ranging from 3 to 12 months.

The review highlighted the need for more research in developing countries, as most studies were conducted in developed nations, despite the potential for text messaging to be a low-cost health intervention globally.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management. Cole-Lewis, H., Kershaw, T.[2022]

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different reminder methods (text messages, reminder calls, or both) in increasing the use of service referrals among 300 participants from community outreach programs.

The research will help determine how mobile phone-based interventions can enhance community engagement and service utilization, potentially guiding future reminder protocols for similar programs across the country.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program. Varma, DS., Hart, M., McIntyre, DS., et al.[2020]

Text messaging-based mindfulness interventions significantly improved outcomes related to insomnia, pain, and dysregulated eating in three randomized controlled trials involving a total of 919 participants, with effects sustained up to 3 months after the intervention.

The studies identified specific mediating factors, such as dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and pain catastrophizing, that helped explain how the interventions led to improvements in mental health and well-being, highlighting the effectiveness of text messaging as a core intervention modality.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Delivering Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia, Pain, and Dysfunctional Eating Through a Text Messaging App: Three Randomized Controlled Trials Investigating the Effectiveness and Mediating Mechanisms. Li, AC., Wong, KK., Chio, FH., et al.[2022]

The study analyzed 1550 SMS messages and 4071 participant replies, finding that supportive and informative messages significantly reduced the likelihood of participants prematurely stopping the program, while notification messages increased the chance of stopping.

Machine learning models effectively categorized message intent and participant replies, showing that informative and instructional messages boosted engagement, while motivational messages did not have a significant impact.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Message Analysis Using Machine Learning to Assess Predictors of Engagement With Mobile Health Chronic Disease Prevention Programs: Content Analysis. Klimis, H., Nothman, J., Lu, D., et al.[2022]

After 3 months of using the Text4Hope program, participants (n = 373) reported significant reductions in anxiety (22.7%), depressive symptoms (10.3%), and perceived stress (5.7%), indicating its effectiveness in alleviating psychological distress during the pandemic.

The program also led to a notable decrease in the prevalence of moderate to high anxiety symptoms, suggesting that Text4Hope is a convenient and accessible intervention for improving mental health on a population level.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text4Hope: Receiving Daily Supportive Text Messages for 3 Months During the COVID-19 Pandemic Reduces Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. Agyapong, VIO., Hrabok, M., Shalaby, R., et al.[2022]

References

1. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developing and Pretesting a Text Messaging Program for Health Behavior Change: Recommended Steps. [2022]

2. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Message Behavioral Interventions: From Here to Where? [2022]

3. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancement of care through self-monitoring and tailored feedback via text messaging and their use in the treatment of childhood overweight. [2018]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Short message service can be a promising tool for psychiatric patients and clinicians. [2015]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reducing the anxiety of surgical patient's families access short message service. [2018]

6. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Leveraging text messaging and mobile technology to support pediatric obesity-related behavior change: a qualitative study using parent focus groups and interviews. [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management. [2022]

8. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program. [2020]

9. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Delivering Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia, Pain, and Dysfunctional Eating Through a Text Messaging App: Three Randomized Controlled Trials Investigating the Effectiveness and Mediating Mechanisms. [2022]

10. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Message Analysis Using Machine Learning to Assess Predictors of Engagement With Mobile Health Chronic Disease Prevention Programs: Content Analysis. [2022]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text4Hope: Receiving Daily Supportive Text Messages for 3 Months During the COVID-19 Pandemic Reduces Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. [2022]