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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06621745

A Gratitude Intervention App to Reduce Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Stress

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether a newly developed gratitude intervention app can effectively improve psychological functioning, as measured by depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, positive and negative affect

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Will people who are in the intervention group feel more positive emotions and experience fewer negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, and depression after three weeks?

Researchers will compare the intervention to a control group (a group not given the gratitude intervention) to see if the intervention works to improve psychological functioning.

Participants will:

* Complete an online survey on emotional well-being and personality traits at the beginning and end of the three-week study, with daily mood ratings and stress assessments every three days. * Participants in the intervention group will use a mobile app to practice gratitude exercises.

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Key information

Conditions

Depression Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Mental Disorders Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being Stress

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Dalhousie University

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada

About this study

Background: Gratitude interventions have been shown to decrease depression, stress and anxiety symptoms, support enhanced coping with health-related problems and might improve both psychological and physical functioning in areas. However, results have been mixed with effects varying by outcome, duration, follow-up length, format, and age. A recent meta-analysis including 27 studies focusing more specifically on symptoms of depression and anxiety suggest there is a limited effect of gratitude interventions on reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety at post-intervention and follow-up.

Objective: Thus, the present study aims to implement a three-week gratitude intervention including five different types of gratitude tasks embedded in a mobile sensing application and examine the intervention's psychological effects.

Method: Participants will be recruited and randomly allocated into the intervention and the control group. The study will measure depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, positive and negative affect, negative affectivity and social inhibition before and after the three-week intervention period as psychological variables. It will analyze the effect of the gratitude intervention on the measured variables as well as examine the impact of negative affectivity and social inhibition on depression, anxiety and stress symptoms.

Implications: If the intervention is shown to effectively reduce psychological problems, it will be tested and implemented to support the well-being of university students as a stand-alone tool.

The study will examine whether the gratitude intervention can effectively reduce depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. We intend to recruit 120 participants. Extending previous research, it will also examine whether negative affectivity and social inhibition have an impact on the measured outcomes and whether the intervention can influence these traits.

It is hypothesized that:

  • Positive affect will increase, while negative affect, stress, anxiety and depression symptoms will decrease from before to after the three weeks in the group that practices the gratitude intervention tasks (intervention group) compared to the group which doesn't (control group).
  • Negative affectivity and social inhibition will decrease from before to after the three weeks in the intervention group in comparison to the control group.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • individuals aged 18-30, with access to an iPhone, and English speaking.

Exclusion criteria

  • any self-reported cardiovascular disease; endocrine disease, kidney disease, tumor, hypertension, coarctation of the aorta, fibromuscular dysplasia, sleep apnea, which can impact the function of the cardiovascular system, as well as any current mental health treatment.

Treatment and study plan

Gratitude Intervention App

Behavioral

The GIA app, an iOS application designed for this study, is based on effective gratitude interventions and tailored for youth. Access required a unique login. It features five exercises: a journal, photo book, imagine exercise, speech exercise, and meditation. The journal encourages daily entries. The photo book involves uploading photos of things users are grateful for, promoting mindfulness. The imagine exercise reflects on gratitude, while the speech exercise records users' gratitude. The meditation exercise enhances well-being. During the three-week study, daily notifications prompted exercise completion. The app, green and white with a flower-heart icon, offers email support for technical issues.

Other names: GIA

Primary outcomes

  1. Depression, anxiety, and stress

    Time frame: three weeks

    Participant's depression, anxiety, and stress levels were measured with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), which is a set of three self-report scales each consisting of seven items to measure the individual's emotional states of depression ("I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all"), anxiety ("I felt I was close to panic"), and stress ("I found it difficult to relax"). Participants rated how much each statement applied to them in the past week, from 0 ("Did not apply to me at all") to 3 ("Applied to me very much or most of the time"). High scores indicate higher levels of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. There are subscale score cut-offs for normal, mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe emotional states. Participants were considered to show at least moderate symptomatology if they scored higher than 7 on the depression subscale, 6 on the anxiety subscale, and 10 on the stress subscale.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Dalhousie University

Other

Collaborators

  • Canada Foundation for Innovation
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Registry information

Official study title

A Mobile Application-based Gratitude Intervention's Psychological Effects

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Oct 1, 2024
Registry last updated
Oct 1, 2024

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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