Intern Health Study 2025

NCT ID: NCT07052357

Last Updated: 2025-07-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 1000 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-04-03
• Study Completion Date: 2026-06-30

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of using a reinforcement learning algorithm to determine the optimal content of a mobile health intervention (message delivered via smartphone) for improving the mood, physical activity, and sleep of medical interns.

Detailed Description

Due to their high workloads, less sleep and physical activity and other stressors, medical interns suffer from depression at higher rates than the general population. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile health intervention intending to help prevent the degradation of health behaviors and the development of depression. The intervention sends mobile phone notifications which aim to help interns improve their mood, maintain physical activity, and obtain adequate sleep during their internship year. A reinforcement learning algorithm will use prior survey, daily mood, and wearable data to make three types of choices each day: 1) whether to send a message or not on a given day, and, if sending a message, 2) the therapeutic strategy (Behavioral Strategy, Cognitive Strategy, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Distanced Self-Talk), and 3) whether or not to include feedback (the intern's own data) in the message.

Conditions

Depression - Major Depressive Disorder; Mood; Sleep; Physical Activity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Within-participant micro-randomization

Each week a policy outcome is chosen at random with ⅓ mood, ⅓ activity, ⅓ sleep - this determines which category of message a participant will receive.

Each day in the study, a reinforcement learning algorithm will determine 1) if a participant will receive a notification that day or no notification that day, 2) the therapeutic strategy employed by the notification (Behavioral Strategy, Cognitive Strategy, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Distanced Self-Talk), and 3) if personalized data feedback will be included.

If assigned to receive a notification, 1 core message set that meets the above criteria will be randomly selected from a pool of 358 core message sets. Each core message set will be comprised of 4 messages containing comparable content, however they will be tailored based on the participant's wearable (steps, sleep) or mood data for the specified time interval (7 days, 30 days, since the start of internship) as follows: 1) no data, 2) low, 3) moderate, or 4) high.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Intern Health Study behavioral change mobile notification

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The study's mobile app will be used to deliver push notifications. The notifications appear on the participant's phone lock screen. The notifications include 3 categories: mood notifications, activity notifications, sleep notifications. Mood notifications aim to increase the participant's mood. Activity notifications aim to increase the participant's physical activity. Sleep notifications aim to increase the participant's sleep duration. All notifications are categorized as one of five therapeutic approaches: 1) CBT-Behavioral, 2) CBT-Cognitive, 3) Distanced Self-Talk, 4) Mindfulness, 5) Motivational Interviewing.

Interventions

Intern Health Study behavioral change mobile notification

The study's mobile app will be used to deliver push notifications. The notifications appear on the participant's phone lock screen. The notifications include 3 categories: mood notifications, activity notifications, sleep notifications. Mood notifications aim to increase the participant's mood. Activity notifications aim to increase the participant's physical activity. Sleep notifications aim to increase the participant's sleep duration. All notifications are categorized as one of five therapeutic approaches: 1) CBT-Behavioral, 2) CBT-Cognitive, 3) Distanced Self-Talk, 4) Mindfulness, 5) Motivational Interviewing.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Medical intern during the 2025-2026 internship year
• iPhone or Android phone user
• Completed the Intern Health Study consent and baseline survey by June 20 prior to the start of intern year

Exclusion Criteria

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Michigan

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Srijan Sen

Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Professor of Depression and Neurosciences

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Countries

United States

Related Links

https://www.srijan-sen-lab.com/intern-health-study

Sen Lab Website

https://www.internhealthstudy.org/

Study Participant Website

Other Identifiers

HUM00033029.25

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id