DepressionNCT02302248
Effectiveness of a Crowdsourced Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention
A study testing Crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention and Expressive writing intervention in people with Depression, run by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Trial summary
This study evaluates a web-based, crowdsourcing platform to promote cognitive reappraisal. Half of participants will be granted access to the crowdsourced reappraisal platform. The other half will be provided a web-based expressive writing platform. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression
- What is being tested?
- Crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention and Expressive writing intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 270 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Apr 2014to Jul 2014
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- An email account, a desktop computer, and broadband Internet access
- Access to modern web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
- Native English speaker
- 18 to 35 years old
Who cannot join
- Planning to be without Internet access during the scheduled intervention time
About this study
Official title: A Randomized, Active-Controlled Trial to Investigate the Effectiveness of a Crowdsourced Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention.
This study evaluates a web-based, crowdsourcing platform to promote cognitive reappraisal. Half of participants will be granted access to the crowdsourced reappraisal platform. The other half will be provided a web-based expressive writing platform. The investigators hypothesize that the crowdsourcing reappraisal platform will be more effective than the expressive writing platform in promoting positive psychological outcomes.
Read the detailed description
There are many ways to manage stress and mood, including exercise, diet, and relaxation practices. Cognitive-based techniques are also extremely powerful. Simply changing how you think about stressful situations can dramatically affect the way you feel. Individuals who routinely use strategies like cognitive reappraisal exhibit an enviable affective profile: studies suggest these individuals generally have less stress, lower incidence of depression, and better social functioning than those who rely on less adaptive emotion regulatory techniques. Techniques like cognitive reappraisal are also integral to many evidence-based psychotherapeutic traditions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and rational-emotive therapy.
Unfortunately, cognitive techniques can be hard to learn. Thinking flexibly about stressful thoughts and situations requires creativity and poise, faculties that often elude us when we need them the most. In this study, the investigators evaluate a web-based technology that uses crowdsourcing and peer-to-peer interactions to help people learn cognitive-based techniques and apply them throughout their daily lives.
The goal of the proposed study is to see whether the investigators' technology is more engaging and more effective at reducing depression symptoms than a web-based expressive writing platform. While the investigators are most interested in how this intervention affects depression symptoms, the investigators will also assess other psychological variables and the investigators will open the study to the general population.
Participation in this study will last three weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a crowdsourcing reappraisal platform or an expressive writing platform. All study procedures (subject recruitment, baseline and follow-up assessments, interventions) will be conducted online.
- Conditions
- Depression
- Being tested
- Crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention, Expressive writing intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Depression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Crowdsourcing reappraisal interventionBehavioural
3 week access to a web-based crowdsourcing reappraisal platform.
Expressive writing interventionBehavioural
3 week access to a web-based expressive writing platform.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Crowdsourced Reappraisal | Experimental | Participants received the web-based crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention |
| Expressive Writing | Active comparator | Participants received the web-based expressive writing intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Expressive writing intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Measured: Baseline and 3 weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Measured: Baseline and 3 weeks
Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire
Measured: Baseline and 3 weeks
Subjective Happiness Scale
Measured: Baseline and 3 weeks
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
Measured: Baseline and 3 weeks
Utilization and Attrition
activity level (word count, number of social actions, average number and length of web sessions)
Measured: Baseline-week 3
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Nov 2014 (estimated)
- Study startApr 2014
- Primary completionJul 2014
- Study completionJul 2014
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for DepressionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 270 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Northwestern University, Columbia University, University of Florida
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Rosalind W Picard, Sc.D, Principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02302248
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1311006002
- Status last verified
- Nov 2014
- First submitted
- 24 Nov 2014
- Last updated
- 26 Nov 2014
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Morris RR, Schueller SM, Picard RW. Efficacy of a Web-based, crowdsourced peer-to-peer cognitive reappraisal platform for depression: randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. 2015 Mar 30;17(3):e72. doi: 10.2196/jmir.4167.
PubMed 25835472
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Nov 2014. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized, Active-Controlled Trial to Investigate the Effectiveness of a Crowdsourced Cognitive Reappraisal Intervention.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02302248
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1311006002
- Conditions
- Depression
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 270 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Northwestern University, Columbia University, University of Florida
- Study start
- Apr 2014
- Primary completion
- Jul 2014 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jul 2014 (actual)
- First posted
- 26 Nov 2014 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study evaluates a web-based, crowdsourcing platform to promote cognitive reappraisal. Half of participants will be granted access to the crowdsourced reappraisal platform. The other half will be provided a web-based expressive writing platform. The investigators hypothesize that the crowdsourcing reappraisal platform will be more effective than the expressive writing platform in promoting positive psychological outcomes.
Detailed description
There are many ways to manage stress and mood, including exercise, diet, and relaxation practices. Cognitive-based techniques are also extremely powerful. Simply changing how you think about stressful situations can dramatically affect the way you feel. Individuals who routinely use strategies like cognitive reappraisal exhibit an enviable affective profile: studies suggest these individuals generally have less stress, lower incidence of depression, and better social functioning than those who rely on less adaptive emotion regulatory techniques. Techniques like cognitive reappraisal are also integral to many evidence-based psychotherapeutic traditions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and rational-emotive therapy.
Unfortunately, cognitive techniques can be hard to learn. Thinking flexibly about stressful thoughts and situations requires creativity and poise, faculties that often elude us when we need them the most. In this study, the investigators evaluate a web-based technology that uses crowdsourcing and peer-to-peer interactions to help people learn cognitive-based techniques and apply them throughout their daily lives.
The goal of the proposed study is to see whether the investigators' technology is more engaging and more effective at reducing depression symptoms than a web-based expressive writing platform. While the investigators are most interested in how this intervention affects depression symptoms, the investigators will also assess other psychological variables and the investigators will open the study to the general population.
Participation in this study will last three weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a crowdsourcing reappraisal platform or an expressive writing platform. All study procedures (subject recruitment, baseline and follow-up assessments, interventions) will be conducted online.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Crowdsourced Reappraisal | Experimental | Behavioral: Crowdsourcing reappraisal interventionParticipants received the web-based crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention. |
| Expressive Writing | Active comparator | Behavioral: Expressive writing interventionParticipants received the web-based expressive writing intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- An email account, a desktop computer, and broadband Internet access
- Access to modern web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
- Native English speaker
- 18 to 35 years old
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Planning to be without Internet access during the scheduled intervention time
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention3 week access to a web-based crowdsourcing reappraisal platform. | Behavioural | Crowdsourced Reappraisal |
| Expressive writing intervention3 week access to a web-based expressive writing platform. | Behavioural | Expressive Writing |
Primary outcome
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks
5 secondary outcomes
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks
Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks
Subjective Happiness Scale
Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks
Utilization and Attrition
Time frame: Baseline-week 3
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Nov 2014.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 25835472Morris RR, Schueller SM, Picard RW. Efficacy of a Web-based, crowdsourced peer-to-peer cognitive reappraisal platform for depression: randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. 2015 Mar 30;17(3):e72. doi: 10.2196/jmir.4167.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Rosalind W Picard, Sc.D principal investigator
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Crowdsourcing reappraisal intervention and Expressive writing intervention in people with Depression, run by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Nov 2014. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02302248, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Nov 2014.