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Harnessing Mobile Technology to Reduce Mental Health Disorders in College Populations
Recruiting
Trial ID: NCT04162847
Purpose
The prevalence of mental health problems among college populations has risen steadily in
recent decades, with one third of today's students struggling with anxiety, depression, or an
eating disorder (ED). Yet, only 20-40% of college students with mental disorders receive
treatment. Inadequacies in mental health care delivery result in prolonged illness, disease
progression, poorer prognosis, and greater likelihood of relapse, highlighting the need for a
new approach for detecting mental health problems and engaging college students in services.
The investigators have developed a transdiagnostic, low-cost mobile health targeted
prevention and intervention platform that uses population-level screening for engaging
college students in tailored services that address common mental health problems. This care
delivery system represents an ideal model given its use of evidence-based mobile programs, a
transdiagnostic approach that addresses comorbid mental health issues, and personalized
screening and intervention to increase service uptake, enhance engagement, and improve
outcomes. Further, this service delivery model harnesses the expertise of an
interdisciplinary team of behavioral scientists, college student mental health scholars,
technology researchers, and health economists. This work bridges the study team's collective
leadership over the past 25 years in successfully implementing a population-based screening
program in more than 160 colleges and demonstrating the effectiveness of Internet-based
programs for targeted prevention and intervention for anxiety, depression, and EDs. Through
this study, Investigators will test the impact of this mobile mental health platform for
service delivery in a large-scale trial across a diverse range of U.S. colleges. Students who
screen positive or at high-risk for clinical anxiety, depression, or EDs (excluding anorexia
nervosa, for which more intensive medical monitoring is warranted) and who are not currently
engaged in mental health services will be randomly assigned to: 1) intervention via the
mobile mental health platform; or 2) referral to usual care (i.e., campus health or
counseling center).
Participants in the study will be enrolled for 2 years and asked to complete surveys at
baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 2 years.
Official Title
Harnessing Mobile Technology to Reduce Mental Health Disorders in College Populations
Stanford Investigator(s)
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Undergraduate students at participating colleges and universities who are 18 years old
and older.
- Students who screen has high risk or clinical/subclinical for anxiety, depression,
and, eating disorders.
- Students who are not currently in treatment, i.e., in the past month
Exclusion Criteria:
- Students who do not own a smartphone
- Students who are currently engaged in mental health treatment
- Students with anorexia nervosa
Intervention(s):
device: SilverCloud Health Intervention
Recruiting
Contact Information
Stanford University
School of Medicine
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford,
CA
94305