A Megastudy of Single-Session Interventions for Depression
NCT ID: NCT06856668
Last Updated: 2025-06-27
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
7505 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-03-11
2025-06-24
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
QUADRUPLE
Study Groups
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Passive control (All About Trout)
The passive control condition aims to hold one's attention for 8-10 minutes without influencing depressive symptoms or mood (a three-minute video, multiple-choice questions, two-minute reading passage, three-minute writing exercise, all about trout).
All about Trout
An 8-10 minute educational program with information and interactive exercises about trout fish. Intended to capture one's attention and require some effort, while minimizing influence on depressive symptoms.
Behavioral Activation (Action Brings Change Project)
A behavioral activation SSI where users learn about negative thought spirals, share advice with an imagined peer, and create an "action plan" of helpful activities to engage in in the future.
Behavioral Activation (Action Brings Change Project 10-Minute Version)
A behavioral activation SSI where users learn about negative thought spirals, give advice to an imagined peer, then create an "action plan" of helpful activities to do in the near future. This is a shorter version of the original 15-minute Action Brings Change SSI.
SSI 1: Mindful Acceptance
A clinical psychologist explains a few ways to use mindful acceptance to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings.
Mindful Acceptance
A clinical psychologist explains a few ways to use mindful acceptance to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings.
SSI 2: Moral Elevation
Users learn about moral elevation, then watch a touching video where a man does good deeds for people in his community. Finally, they plan a positive action they can take to help others in their own life.
Moral Elevation
Users learn about moral elevation, then watch a touching video where a man does good deeds for people in his community (originally a Thai life insurance advertisement). Finally, they plan a positive action they can take to help others in their own life.
SSI 3: Mindful Attention Skills
A series of videos teach mindfulness skills: how to release thoughts and re-evaluate.
Mindful Attention Skills
A series of videos teach mindfulness skills: how to release thoughts and re-evaluate negative interpretations.
SSI 4: 5 Habits to Beat Depression
A clinical psychologist and science communicator describes his top 5 one-minute habits to beat depression.
5 Habits to Beat Depression
A clinical psychologist and science communicator describes his top 5 one-minute habits to beat depression.
SSI 5: Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal
An interactive SSI where participants learn how to reframe negative thoughts.
Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal
An interactive SSI where participants learn how to reframe negative thoughts
SSI 6: Expressive Writing (AI-supported)
Participants describe a persistent negative thought they struggle with and a large language model system helps them to consider a story in which someone learns to overcome that thought.
Expressive Writing (AI-supported)
Participants describe a negative thought they struggle with and an LLM helps them to consider a story in which a peer overcomes that thought.
SSI 7: Inner Child Healing Walk
An interactive journey to reconnect and heal one's inner child through breathing exercises, positive affirmations, and supportive animal companions.
Inner Child Healing Walk
An interactive journey to reconnect and heal one's inner child through breathing exercises, positive affirmations, and supportive animal companions.
SSI 8: Savoring Strategies
An SSI introducing savoring strategies to improve mood.
Savoring Strategies
An SSI introducing savoring strategies to improve mood.
SSI 9: Personalized Intervention Recommender
Identifies the kinds of depression one struggles most with and offers a personalized recommendation for future depression support options.
Personalized Intervention Recommender
Identifies the kinds of depression one struggles most with and offers a personalized recommendation for future depression support options
SSI 10: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills
Presents videos from dialectical behavioral therapy on various ways to control negative emotions.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills
Presents videos from dialectical behavioral therapy on various ways to control negative emotions.
SSI 11: Reframing Negative Thoughts
An audio-only program in which users are guided to reflect on how they might challenge negative automatic thoughts and beliefs they struggle with.
Reframing Negative Thoughts
An audio-only program in which users are guided to reflect on how they might challenge negative automatic thoughts and beliefs they struggle with.
Interventions
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Behavioral Activation (Action Brings Change Project 10-Minute Version)
A behavioral activation SSI where users learn about negative thought spirals, give advice to an imagined peer, then create an "action plan" of helpful activities to do in the near future. This is a shorter version of the original 15-minute Action Brings Change SSI.
Mindful Acceptance
A clinical psychologist explains a few ways to use mindful acceptance to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings.
Moral Elevation
Users learn about moral elevation, then watch a touching video where a man does good deeds for people in his community (originally a Thai life insurance advertisement). Finally, they plan a positive action they can take to help others in their own life.
Mindful Attention Skills
A series of videos teach mindfulness skills: how to release thoughts and re-evaluate negative interpretations.
5 Habits to Beat Depression
A clinical psychologist and science communicator describes his top 5 one-minute habits to beat depression.
Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal
An interactive SSI where participants learn how to reframe negative thoughts
Expressive Writing (AI-supported)
Participants describe a negative thought they struggle with and an LLM helps them to consider a story in which a peer overcomes that thought.
Inner Child Healing Walk
An interactive journey to reconnect and heal one's inner child through breathing exercises, positive affirmations, and supportive animal companions.
Savoring Strategies
An SSI introducing savoring strategies to improve mood.
Personalized Intervention Recommender
Identifies the kinds of depression one struggles most with and offers a personalized recommendation for future depression support options
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills
Presents videos from dialectical behavioral therapy on various ways to control negative emotions.
All about Trout
An 8-10 minute educational program with information and interactive exercises about trout fish. Intended to capture one's attention and require some effort, while minimizing influence on depressive symptoms.
Reframing Negative Thoughts
An audio-only program in which users are guided to reflect on how they might challenge negative automatic thoughts and beliefs they struggle with.
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Able to read and write fluently in English
* Have enough access to the internet to complete two sessions over four weeks
* Score at least 10 on the PHQ-9 screen (suggesting moderate depression; Kroenke et al., 2001)
* Pass the bot check during the screening survey
All participants who are randomized to an experimental condition (and therefore completed all baseline measures) will be included in analyses, except for participants who indicate at the end of either the baseline or week 4 session that they did not participate in the study seriously. Researchers will only keep data from the first survey session a participant begins.
18 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
NIH
Northwestern University
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Jessica Schleider
Professor
Locations
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Northwestern University Medical Social Sciences
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Countries
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References
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Eddington KM, Dozois DJ, Backs-Dermott BJ. Evaluation of the internal consistency, factor structure, and validity of the Depression Change Expectancy Scale. Assessment. 2014 Oct;21(5):607-17. doi: 10.1177/1073191113517929. Epub 2013 Dec 30.
Terides MD, Dear BF, Karin E, Jones MP, Gandy M, Fogliati VJ, Kayrouz R, Staples LG, Titov N. The frequency of actions and thoughts scale: development and psychometric validation of a measure of adaptive behaviours and cognitions. Cogn Behav Ther. 2016 Apr;45(3):196-216. doi: 10.1080/16506073.2016.1149876. Epub 2016 Feb 29.
Snyder CR, Sympson SC, Ybasco FC, Borders TF, Babyak MA, Higgins RL. Development and validation of the State Hope Scale. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1996 Feb;70(2):321-35. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.70.2.321.
Perczel Forintos D, Rozsa S, Pilling J, Kopp M. Proposal for a short version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale based on a national representative survey in Hungary. Community Ment Health J. 2013 Dec;49(6):822-30. doi: 10.1007/s10597-013-9619-1. Epub 2013 Jun 12.
Laukkonen RE, Kaveladze BT, Tangen JM, Schooler JW. The dark side of Eureka: Artificially induced Aha moments make facts feel true. Cognition. 2020 Mar;196:104122. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104122. Epub 2019 Nov 20.
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x.
Goodman E, Adler NE, Kawachi I, Frazier AL, Huang B, Colditz GA. Adolescents' perceptions of social status: development and evaluation of a new indicator. Pediatrics. 2001 Aug;108(2):E31. doi: 10.1542/peds.108.2.e31.
Devilly GJ, Borkovec TD. Psychometric properties of the credibility/expectancy questionnaire. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2000 Jun;31(2):73-86. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7916(00)00012-4.
Beck AT, Weissman A, Lester D, Trexler L. The measurement of pessimism: the hopelessness scale. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1974 Dec;42(6):861-5. doi: 10.1037/h0037562. No abstract available.
Kaveladze B, Voelkel J, Stagnaro M, Huang M, Smock A, Sullivan E, Xu Y, McCall M, Zapata JP, Ishtiaque S, Bhattacharjee A, Georgieva I, Hernandez-Ramos R, Huber K, Jennings J, Kirk A, Kornfield R, Knowles R, Lind M, Liu M, Liut M, Mariakakis A, Mattu A, McGuire A, Meyerhoff J, Mrazek A, Mrazek M, Mohr D, Morris R, Mosunic C, Nip H, Olson-Urtecho A, Podell J, Ransom D, Rizvi S, Southward M, Stoeckl SE, Taylor M, Texter A, Trotter A, Tower C, Williams J, Woodson E, Wislocki K, Protzko J, Lorenzo-Luaces L, Schueller S, Nock M, Schleider J. A Crowdsourced Megastudy of 12 Digital Single-Session Interventions for Depression in American Adults. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2025 Aug 25:rs.3.rs-7236847. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7236847/v1.
Provided Documents
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Document Type: Study Protocol, Statistical Analysis Plan, and Informed Consent Form
Related Links
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Study Open Science Framework page with data and more information
Other Identifiers
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STU 00220193
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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