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NCT Number: NCT07165782

Brief Videos Delivered by Text Messages as a Public Health Intervention for PTSD in Youth

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if informational videos (the intervention) sent by text messages can help young people (age 15 - 25) manage symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a small-scale trial to evaluate whether the intervention has potential to be effective, whether it is feasible to carry out a bigger study, and whether youth find the intervention acceptable.The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does the intervention help youth reduce their symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, improve how well they function day-to-day, and lead to post-traumatic growth. 2. Will it be possible to conduct a larger study on the intervention (e.g., are we able to attract participants to take part in the study; do participants follow through with the intervention and the study) and is the intervention acceptable to youth (e.g., do they watch the videos, and rate the videos as useful, interesting, understandable, and relevant)?

Researchers will compare those who receive the intervention right away to those who wait to receive the intervention to see if there are differences between groups.

Videos will teach youth about PTSD and provide the opportunity to practice strategies that have been shown to help with reduce symptoms of PTSD, such as exposure, reducing avoidance, social support, and coping strategies (e.g., changing your thoughts, deep breathing, and muscle relaxation).

The study is fully online. Participants will be randomly placed in one of two groups:

1. Intervention Group: Gets three PTSD-related text messages per week for 10 weeks. They will also be asked to rate each of the videos on how helpful you found them. 2. Waitlist Group: Does not receive text messages until AFTER the final surveys for the study are completed (i.e., 5 months), then will receive the intervention.

Everyone will be asked to complete online surveys about their mental health and functioning 3 times during the study:

* Beginning of the study * 10 weeks into the study * 3 months after the videos end (end of study)

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Key information

Conditions

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Adolescence Combat Disorders Mental Disorders Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Youth Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders Wounds and Injuries

Age range

15 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Likely diagnosis of PTSD as indicated by a minimum score of 31 on the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist
  • Direct exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence or through witnessing, learning it happened to a close relation as assessed by the Life Events Checklist
  • Between 15 and 25 years old at time of enrolment
  • Access to a mobile phone and a data plan that allows them to receive text messages and videos
  • Live in Canada

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of active suicidality, determined by items from the Patient Safety Screener
  • Active symptoms of psychosis, indicated by a brief Psychosis Screener Questionnaire
  • An inability to read and/or understand English

Treatment and study plan

Brief Videos Delivered by Text Message

Behavioral

The intervention consists of brief videos delivered by text message, designed to deliver psychoeducation, coping strategies, and social support guidance for youth with PTSD. The focus is to reduce avoidance behaviors, increase exposure, change cognitions and enhance social support.

The text messages will follow a six-module curriculum, covering key PTSD recovery topics:

  • Psychoeducation on PTSD - Understanding symptoms, trauma responses, and brain plasticity.
  • Reducing Avoidance - Encouraging gradual engagement with feared thoughts and situations.
  • Cognitive Coping Strategies - Introducing cognitive restructuring techniques.
  • Behavioral Coping Strategies - Teaching relaxation techniques (e.g., deep breathing, grounding).
  • Social Support - Highlighting the role of social support and strategies to strengthen connections.
  • Maintenance and Relapse Prevention - Preparing for setbacks and reinforcing progress.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Posttraumatic Stress as Assessed by the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) at 10 Weeks (End of Treatment)

    Time frame: From enrolment to the end of treatment at 10 weeks

    The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report measure assessing PTSD symptom severity based on Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Participants rate how much symptoms have bothered them in the past month on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Symptom scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. A score of 31 or higher indicates a probable diagnosis of PTSD.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Posttraumatic Stress as Assessed by the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) at 3 Months After Treatment

    Time frame: 3 Months After Treatment (22 weeks after enrolment)

    The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report measure assessing PTSD symptom severity based on Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Participants rate how much symptoms have bothered them in the past month on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Symptom scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. A score of 31 or higher indicates a probable diagnosis of PTSD.

  2. Change in Anxiety Score as Measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) at 10 Weeks After Enrolment (Post-Treatment) and 3 Months After Treatment

    Time frame: From enrolment to the end of treatment at 10 weeks and 3 months after treatment ends.

    The GAD-7 is a 7-item measure assessing generalized anxiety symptoms. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety severity.

  3. Change in Depression Score as Measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at 10 Weeks After Enrolment (Post-Treatment) and 3 Months After Treatment

    Time frame: From enrolment to the end of treatment at 10 weeks and 3 months after treatment ends.

    The PHQ-9 is a 9-item measure assessing depression symptoms. Higher scores indicate greater depression severity.

  4. Change in Functional Impairment Scores as Measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) at 10 Weeks After Enrolment (Post-Treatment) and 3 Months After Treatment.

    Time frame: From enrolment to the end of treatment at 10 weeks and 3 months after treatment ends.

    The SDS will assess the severity of functional impairment. Higher scores indicate more impairment.

  5. Change in Posttraumatic Growth as Measured by The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory - Short Form (PTGI-SF) at 10 Weeks After Enrolment and 3 Months After Treatment

    Time frame: From enrolment to the end of treatment at 10 weeks and 3 months after treatment ends.

    The PTGI-SF is a 10-item measure assessing positive psychological changes following trauma.

Other outcomes

  1. Feasibility and Acceptability as Measured by Engagement and Video Ratings

    Time frame: From enrolment to end of treatment (10 weeks)

    The feasibility and acceptability of the text message-based intervention will be assessed throughout the study using recruitment and retention rates (i.e., number of participants enrolled and completing follow-ups), message engagement (i.e., number of messages rated by participants), and participant satisfaction (i.e., ratings of message helpfulness, relevance, and supportiveness). After each text, participants will be asked to rate how useful, relevant, interesting, and understandable they found the messages on a scale of 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely).

Study contacts

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

Patrick J McGrath, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+13435588921

Research Coordinator

CONTACT

[email protected]

+19024707552

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

IWK Health Centre

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Brief Videos Delivered by Text Messages as a Public Health Intervention for PTSD in Youth: A Feasibility and Acceptability Randomized Trial

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Sep 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Sep 10, 2025

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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