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NCT Number: NCT07778758

VIPeerAgent for Adolescent Mental Health

This three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of VIPeerAgent, a virtual peer support agent, in improving mental health outcomes among adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years experiencing psychological distress without a diagnosed mental disorder. Participants will be randomized to receive support from VIPeerAgent, a human peer mentor, or usual care. The study will assess whether VIPeerAgent is non-inferior to human peer support and superior to usual care in promoting mental health. Outcomes include mental health status, psychological resilience, coping strategies, perceived social support, and emotional intelligence. The findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness and scalability of AI-assisted peer support as an early intervention approach for youth mental health.

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Key information

Conditions

Youth Mental Health Behavior Early Intervention Personal Satisfaction Psychological Distress in Adolescents and Young Adults Psychological Well-Being

Age range

14 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of VIPeerAgent, an artificial intelligence-powered virtual peer support agent, in promoting mental health among adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years who experience psychological distress but do not meet diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder. The study is designed to support the early identification, early intervention, and prevention of mental health problems in youth populations.

The study adopts a three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial with a non-inferiority and superiority testing framework. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of three groups: (1) the VIPeerAgent intervention group, (2) the human peer mentor support group, or (3) the usual-care control group.

Participants in the VIPeerAgent group will engage in multi-turn conversations with the virtual peer agent. The intervention focuses on providing psychological support in three key areas: emotional awareness and regulation, social support enhancement, and coping strategy development. At the end of each interaction, VIPeerAgent will guide participants in developing an individualized and actionable to-do list based on their personal needs and goals. Additional support will be provided through proactive follow-up and personalized content recommendations tailored to participants' psychological needs.

Participants in the human peer mentor group will receive support from trained peer mentors. The intervention components are comparable to those delivered by VIPeerAgent and include peer support consultations, enhanced follow-up, individualized action planning through to-do lists, and personalized supportive messages. Participants in the usual-care control group will receive routine mental health education through weekly mental health promotion materials. The intervention period will last four weeks.

The primary outcome is improvement in mental health status during the follow-up period, assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory-53 (BSI-53). Secondary outcomes include psychological resilience, coping strategies, perceived social support, and emotional intelligence.

In addition to the randomized controlled trial, an explanatory qualitative study will be conducted following completion of the intervention. Using purposive sampling, participants with diverse experiences and intervention responses will be invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The qualitative interviews will explore participants' perceptions of the intervention, user experiences, acceptability, engagement, and perceived impact. Findings from the qualitative analysis will be used to complement and help explain the quantitative trial results, providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms, benefits, and implementation considerations of AI-assisted peer support for youth mental health.

This design will generate comprehensive evidence regarding both the effectiveness and user experience of VIPeerAgent and inform the future development, implementation, and scalability of AI-supported mental health interventions for adolescents and young adults.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years.
  • Experienced at least one moderate or more severe stressful life event within the past 6 months.
  • Able to read and communicate in Chinese.
  • Willing to participate in the study and provide informed consent.
  • Have a BSI-53 score <63.

Exclusion criteria

  • A history of clinically diagnosed severe mental or psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder or schizophrenia.
  • Current suicidal ideation or suicidal ideation within the past 6 months.
  • Receipt of professional psychological or psychiatric treatment within the past 12 months.

Treatment and study plan

Virtual Peer Agent Intervention

Other

Participants in the VIPeerAgent group will engage in multi-turn conversations with the virtual peer agent. The intervention focuses on providing psychological support in three key areas: emotional awareness and regulation, social support enhancement, and coping strategy development. At the end of each interaction, VIPeerAgent will guide participants in developing an individualized and actionable to-do list based on their personal needs and goals.

Human peer mentor

Other

Participants in the human peer mentor group will receive support from trained peer mentors. The intervention components are comparable to those delivered by VIPeerAgent and include peer support consultations, enhanced follow-up, individualized action planning through to-do lists, and personalized supportive messages.

Primary outcomes

  1. Level of Psychological Symptoms

    Time frame: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

    Level of Psychological Symptoms: Assessed by change in scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory-53 (BSI-53). This 53-item instrument, which encompasses 9 dimensions, is rated on a 5-point Likert scale. A cut-off point of 63 or higher is used to define a positive case.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Social Support

    Time frame: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

    Social Support: Assessed by scores on the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). The Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) consists of 12 items, which are divided into three dimensions: family, friend, and other support. Using a 7-point Likert scale, the total score (range: 12-84) is calculated, with a higher score reflecting a higher level of perceived social support.

  2. Stressful life events

    Time frame: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

    The Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC) assesses the frequency and impact of stressful life events in adolescents. It comprises 27 items covering five domains: punishment, loss, interpersonal stress, academic stress, and adaptation problems. Each item is rated on a 6-point scale from 0 (never occurred) to 5 (extremely severe). Scale range: 0 to 135 Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater negative impact of stressful life events).

  3. Coping Strategies

    Time frame: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

    Coping Strategies: Assessed by scores on the Coping Strategy Indicator - Short Form in Chinese (CSIS-SFC). The scale is composed of 21 items divided into four subscales: Task-Oriented Coping, Emotion-Oriented Coping, Distraction Coping, and Social Diversion Coping. It is a 5-point Likert scale.

  4. Psychological Resilience

    Time frame: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

    Psychological Resilience: Assessed by change in scores on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The instrument consists of 25 items distributed among three dimensions: hardiness (13 items), strength (8 items), and optimism (4 items). Responses are recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, yielding a total score between 0 and 100, where a higher score denotes a higher level of psychological resilience.

  5. Emotional Intelligence

    Time frame: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

    Emotional Intelligence: Assessed by change in scores on the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The Emotional Intelligence Scale contains 16 items across four subscales: Self-Emotion Appraisal and Expression, Others' Emotion Appraisal, Regulation of Self-Emotion, and Use of Emotion. A 7-point scoring system is used, and the total score for each subscale is used to determine the competency level in that specific dimension.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Wei Xia

CONTACT

[email protected]

+8618823359471

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sun Yat-sen University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Efficacy of VIPeerAgent for Mental Health Intervention in Adolescents: A Three-Arm Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial With Non-Inferiority and Superiority Testing

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Aug 21, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 26, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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