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NCT Number: NCT07219095

Dance Mental Health App

This project aims to enhance self-compassion in adolescent dancers recovering from a foot and ankle injury by incorporating the use of a mental health intervention app using gamified design during their recovery.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Ankle Injury Ankle Injuries Foot Injuries Foot Injury Leg Injuries Lower Extremity Injury Wounds and Injuries

Age range

13 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Rady Children's Hospital

San Diego, California, 92123, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Macy J Dexter

CONTACT

[email protected]

858-576-1700 ext. 224451

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Provision of informed consent (adult participant), or consent of parent/legal guardian in conjunction with adolescent assent (minor participant)
  • 13 to 18 years of age
  • Endorses dance as their primary sport, or participates 3 days per week or greater in dance prior to injury
  • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures including the intervention regimen and availability for the duration of the study
  • Access to a device with which the SuperBetter app can be downloaded and used

Exclusion criteria

  • Dance is not a primary sport or less than 3 days per week spent dancing prior to injury (skater, gymnast, other sport)
  • Requiring surgery or prior surgery for the injury being treated
  • Injury outside of the leg below the knee
  • Known eating disorder or bone density issue (documented abnormal Z score and/or eating disorder diagnosis upon review of the medical chart)
  • Verbalized plans to not return to dance after recovery from the injury

Treatment and study plan

Mental Health App

Device

Participants will use the SuperBetter mobile app to participate in gamified mental health activities 5 days per week, 10 minutes per day, for 12 weeks alongside their physical therapy.

Primary outcomes

  1. Number (or percentage) of participants who have returned to full, unrestricted dance after injury

    Time frame: 3, 6 and 12 months.

    Will be assessed as part of the clinical exam by asking current return to dance status

Secondary outcomes

  1. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Measures of Pediatric Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Pain Interference, and Mobility questionnaire

    Time frame: enrollment, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months

    PROMIS scores for Emotional distress (anxiety and depression) and Pain interference subscales. Higher score and higher standard deviation from the norm are considered poorer function/worse outcomes.

  2. Self Compassion Scale (SCS) - Short Form questionnaire

    Time frame: enrollment, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months

    1 is the lowest possible overall calculated score, and the highest overall calculated score is 5, with greater scores indicating greater level of self-compassion.

  3. Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Activities of Daily Living subscale and Sports Subscale questionnaire

    Time frame: enrollment, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months

    Minimum calculated score for each subscale is 0% and highest score is 100% with the higher score meaning better function.

Study contacts

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

Emily O Cidambi, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

858-576-1700

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Other

Collaborators

  • Sanford Scholars Program Mentor Funding

Registry information

Official study title

Use of a Mental Health App in the Recovery of Adolescent Dancers From a Lower Extremity Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Oct 21, 2025
Registry last updated
Oct 21, 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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