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Depression MildHERMESNCT04318236

Factorial Trial Investigating Outcome and Adherence Relevant Factors in an Online Self-help Intervention for Depression

A study testing HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy) in people with Depression Mild and Depression Moderate, run by University of Bern at 1 site in Switzerland.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

A vast amount of studies show that online interventions are suitable to reduce symptoms of mental illness as for instance depression or anxiety. However, participants who use online interventions are more likely to drop out of treatment compared to face-to-face interventions. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Depression Mild, Depression Moderate
What is being tested?
HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
316 participants
Where
1 siteSwitzerland
Study dates
3 Mar 2020to 1 Feb 2021
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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • PHQ-9-Score between 5 - 14
  • Signed Informed Consent
  • Contact information provided in case of emergency
  • Internet connection and device to use it (Smartphone, Computer, Tablet)
  • Fluent in german language

Who cannot join

  • Suicidal tendencies (SBQ-R > 7)
  • a current or previous diagnose of a bipolar or psychotic disorder
  • a current diagnosis of severe depression or another psychological disorder

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Switzerland1 site
  • University of Bern

    Bern, 3012

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: Multifactorial Randomised Trial Investigating Outcome and Adherence Relevant Factors in an Online Problem-solving Self-help Intervention for Mild and Moderate Depressive Symptoms

A vast amount of studies show that online interventions are suitable to reduce symptoms of mental illness as for instance depression or anxiety. However, participants who use online interventions are more likely to drop out of treatment compared to face-to-face interventions. It is important to enhance adherence to online interventions so that participants engage longer in the programs. Also, as online interventions are useful to reduce the burden of mental illness, it is of interest to further improve outcomes of such interventions. Therefore, it will be investigated in this study whether or not four different factors have an impact in fostering adherence to and improving outcome of an internet-based self-help intervention based on problem-solving therapy. A multifactorial design will be used for this study to screen simultaneously whether or not i) a diagnostic telephone interview and, ii) an educational module based on motivational interviewing prior to the intervention and iii) guidance by the study team, and iv) automated e-mail reminders during the study are active factors in enhancing adherence to and outcome of online interventions.

Being tested
HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)Behavioural

    Also called diagnostic telephone interview (yes/no) (prior to the access to HERMES), motivational module (yes/no) (prior to the access to HERMES), guidance (yes/no) (during the usage of HERMES), e-mail reminders (yes/no) (during the usage of HERMES)

    The Online Self-Help Intervention is an online program based on the problem-solving therapy (an evidence based approach of psychotherapy). All participants will receive the exact same intervention.

    However, what will be experimentally varied are the four listed interventions.

Study groups in NCT04318236
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Online-Program + factors 1,2,3,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" all four factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * motivational module * guidance * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 1,2,3ExperimentalIn this "arm" three factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * motivational module * guidance
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 1,2,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" three factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * motivational module * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 1,2ExperimentalIn this "arm" two factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * motivational module
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 1,3,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" three factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * guidance * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 1,3ExperimentalIn this "arm" two factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * guidance
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 1,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" two factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * diagnostic interview * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factor 1ExperimentalIn this "arm" one factor is set to "active" (i.e. yes): - diagnostic interview
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 2,3,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" three factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * motivational module * guidance * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 2,3ExperimentalIn this "arm" two factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * motivational module * guidance
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 2,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" two factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * motivational module * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factor 2ExperimentalIn this "arm" one factor is set to "active" (i.e. yes): - motivational module
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factors 3,4ExperimentalIn this "arm" two factors are set to "active" (i.e. yes): * guidance * e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factor 3ExperimentalIn this "arm" one factor is set to "active" (i.e. yes): - guidance
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + factor 4ExperimentalIn this "arm" one factor is set to "active" (i.e. yes): - e-mail reminders
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)
Online-Program + no factorExperimentalIn this "arm" no factor is set to "active" (i.e. yes):
Receives: Behavioral: HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Depressive Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)

    Measured: Baseline

  2. Change in Depressive Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)

    Measured: 2 weeks

  3. Change in Depressive Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)

    Measured: 4 weeks

  4. Change in Depressive Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)

    Measured: 10 weeks

  5. Change in Depressive Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001)

    Measured: 16 weeks

Secondary outcomes (11)
  1. Adherence to Intervention (1)

    Assessed with the online Program. Indicator of adherence: time spent in program

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 16 weeks

  2. Adherence to Intervention (2)

    Assessed with the online Program. Indicator of adherence: clicks

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 16 weeks

  3. Adherence to Intervention (3)

    Assessed with the online Program. Indicator of adherence: number of exercises completed

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 16 weeks

  4. Anxiety Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Anxiety (GAD-7; Löwe et al., 2002)

    Measured: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks

  5. Stress Symptoms

    Assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire - Stress (PHQ-Stress; Löwe et al., 2002)

    Measured: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks

  6. Health

    Assessed with Short Form Health Survey (SF-12; Gandek et al., 1998)

    Measured: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks

  7. Suicidal Tendency

    Assessed with Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised (SBQ-R; Glaesmer et al., 2017)

    Measured: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks

  8. Social Problem Solving

    Assessed with Social Problem Solving Inventory Revised (SPSI-R; D'Zurilla et al., 1999)

    Measured: Baseline, 10 weeks, 16 weeks

  9. Satisfaction with treatment

    Assessed with the german version of Client Satisfaction Questionnaire CSQ-8 (Attkisson \& Zwick, 1982)

    Measured: 10 weeks

  10. Negative Effects of Psychotherapy

    Assessed with "Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy (INEP; Ladwig, Rief, \& Nestoriuc, 2014)

    Measured: 10 weeks, 16 weeks

  11. Usability of Intervention

    Assessed with System Usability Scale (SAS; Brooke, 1996)

    Measured: 10 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 Mar 2020
  2. Study start3 Mar 2020
  3. Primary completion1 Feb 2021
  4. Study completion1 Feb 2021

Resources

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
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Model description
Multifactorial design (factorial trial), following the Multiphase optimisation Strategy (MOST)
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
316 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04318236
Sponsor's protocol ID
KEK BE 2019-01795
Acronym
HERMES
Status last verified
Apr 2021
First submitted
17 Mar 2020
Last updated
3 May 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Data will be made available, after all planned analysis have been made by the Investigators.

Publications

  • Bur OT, Berger T. Participant Adherence and Contact Behavior in a Guided Internet Intervention for Depressive Symptoms: Exploratory Study. JMIR Form Res. 2024 Dec 16;8:e46860. doi: 10.2196/46860.

    PubMed 39679951
  • Bur OT, Krieger T, Moritz S, Klein JP, Berger T. Optimizing the context of support of web-based self-help in individuals with mild to moderate depressive symptoms: A randomized full factorial trial. Behav Res Ther. 2022 May;152:104070. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104070. Epub 2022 Mar 6.

    PubMed 35306266
  • Bur OT, Krieger T, Moritz S, Klein JP, Berger T. Optimizing the Context of Support to Improve Outcomes of Internet-Based Self-help in Individuals With Depressive Symptoms: Protocol for a Randomized Factorial Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Feb 2;10(2):e21207. doi: 10.2196/21207.

    PubMed 33528377

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing HERMES (Online Self-Help Intervention based on problem-solving therapy) in people with Depression Mild and Depression Moderate, run by University of Bern at 1 site in Switzerland.

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 5 inclusion and 3 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 3 May 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

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?

Change in Depressive Symptoms (time frame: Baseline). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT04318236, which also lists 3 linked publications.

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 3 May 2021.

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