Stress, PsychologicalNCT04980365
Psychology Mobile Apps for Parents in a Pandemic
A study testing Mindfulness, Gratitude and Food Journal in people with Stress, Psychological, run by Sam Houston State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether parents of young children (aged 10 and under) think it is feasible (in other words, doable) and acceptable (in other words, satisfactory) to use a mobile app designed to provide personalized education and enrichment for 10 minutes/day for 14 days. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Stress, Psychological
- What is being tested?
- Mindfulness, Gratitude and Food Journal
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 224 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 8 Jun 2021to 30 Jun 2022
- 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
- Only individuals aged 18 and older will be allowed to participate in the current research (assessed by participant self-report).
- Individuals must identify oneself as a parent or primary caregiver of a child/children aged 10 or under (assessed by participant self-report).
- Participants who score 30 or higher in the Parent Stress Scale (PSS) measure.
- Participants who reside in the U.S. and can understand and answer surveys in English.
Who cannot join
- Individuals under 18
- Non-English-speaking individuals
- Individuals who do not consent to the survey.
- Individuals who do not identify oneself as a parent or primary caregiver of a child/children under the age of 10 (assessed by participant self-report).
- Individuals who score 30 or lower in the PSS measure.
- Individuals who do not reside in the U.S.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas, 77341
About this study
The purpose of this study is to determine whether parents of young children (aged 10 and under) think it is feasible (in other words, doable) and acceptable (in other words, satisfactory) to use a mobile app designed to provide personalized education and enrichment for 10 minutes/day for 14 days. The investigators hope to learn if it is reasonable to ask parents to use one of three different apps and if parents are satisfied with their participation in the study. If so, the investigators can continue to study the effect of these apps on parents' stress in future research.
The investigators also plan to evaluate the effect of these app-based interventions in lowering levels of stress in parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. By conducting this study, the investigators hope to learn if there are specific app-based interventions that will lead to a reduction in stress in parents, improved parental life satisfaction, and improved parent-child interactions. If the results of this study suggest these apps may be promising at reducing stress among parents, the investigators will continue doing research on these app-based interventions.
Read the detailed description
Parents will be invited to participate in a research study to see what parents of young children (aged 10 and under) think of using one of three different mobile app-based interventions to improve parental life satisfaction. The study will be conducted by Dr. Chelsea Ratcliff and Dr. Hillary Langley, Assistant Professors of Psychology at Sam Houston State University. In addition to learning about parents' satisfaction with these app-based interventions, the investigators also plan to compare the effect of these app-based interventions on levels of parental stress, and on quality of parent-child interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of this research is to learn if it is reasonable to ask parents to use one of three different apps and if parents are satisfied with their participation in the study. If so, the investigators can continue to study the effect of these apps. The investigators also plan to evaluate the effect of these app-based interventions in lowering levels of stress in parents. By conducting this study, the investigators hope to learn if there are specific app-based interventions that will lead to a reduction in stress in parents, improved parental life satisfaction, and improved parent-child interactions.
In order to be eligible to participate, participants must be 18 years old or older, and a parent or primary caregiver of a child/children aged 10 years or young. Participants will first consent to participate by signing their name electronically using the mouse at the end of this consent form and providing their name and email address so the investigators can maintain contact. After reading this consent form and agreeing to it, participants will be directed to complete the first survey, which will take about 30 minutes to complete. They will be asked to complete two short questionnaires to determine their eligibility for the study. Participants will receive a $5 gift card for completing the first questionnaire.
After completing the pre-intervention survey, participants will be randomly assigned to use one of three psychology mobile apps. The study coordinator will email them to set up a 15-minute Zoom meeting in order to provide more information about the intervention and to help download the app that they were assigned. After the 14-day period, the study coordinator will email participants a link to a 20-minute follow-up survey, and they will receive a $5 gift card for completing this survey. One month later, the study coordinator will email participants a link to the final follow-up survey, and you will receive a $10 gift card for completing this survey. Thus, participants can earn up to $20 in Amazon gift cards for participating in this study ($5 for the pre-intervention survey, $5 for the immediate post-intervention survey, and $10 for the one-month post-intervention survey).
- Conditions
- Stress, Psychological
- Being tested
- Mindfulness, Gratitude, Food Journal
- Keywords
- Parental stress, Health Psychology, Mental health apps, Mindfulness, Gratitude
- Medical subject headings
- Stress, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MindfulnessBehavioural
Participants will be asked to use the app Mindfulness Coach daily for 10 minutes. Participants will follow app instructions for brief guided meditation sessions for 14 days.
GratitudeBehavioural
Participants will be asked to use the app Grateful daily for 10 minutes. Participants will follow app instructions and will be answering to prompts related to gratitude provided by the app daily, for 10 minutes for 14 days.
Food JournalBehavioural
Participants will be asked to use the app Day One daily for 10 minutes. Participants will be writing a daily journal entry describing what they ate during the previous day for 14 days.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness | Experimental | Participants will be asked to use the app Mindfulness Coach 10 minutes for 14 days. Receives: Behavioral: Mindfulness |
| Gratitude | Experimental | Participants will be asked to use the app Grateful 10 minutes for 14 days. Receives: Behavioral: Gratitude |
| Control | Active comparator | Participants will be asked to use the app Day One daily for 10 minutes. Participants will be writing a daily journal entry describing what they ate during the previous day for 14 days. Receives: Behavioral: Food Journal |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Parental Stress Scale Total Score
Parental stress will be measured with The Parental Stress Scale, an 18-item self report scale; scores range from 18-90.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Secondary outcomes (7)
Five Facet Questionnaire: Short Form Total Score
Trait mindfulness will be measured with the Five Facet Questionnaire: Short Form, a 15-item self-report scale; scores range from 15-75.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Gratitude Questionnaire-6 Total Score
Trait gratitude will be measured with the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6), a 6-item self-report measure that ranges from 6-42.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised Short Form Total Score
Trait gratitude will be measured with Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised Short Form (GRAT-R-SF), a 16-item self-report measure with scores ranging from 16-144.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Dyadic Adjustment Scale Total Score
Perceptions of one's relationship with an intimate partner will be measured via the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS-7), a 7-item self-report measure with scores ranging from 0-36.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Positive & Negative Affect Scores
Positive and negative affect will be measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), a 20-item self-report measure with PA scores ranging from 0-50 and NA scores ranging from 0-50.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Child-Parent Relationship Scale Closeness & Conflict Scores
Parents' views of their relationship with their child will be measured with the Child-Parent Relationship Scale, a 15-item self-report measure, with 7 items assessing closeness (range 7-35) and 8 items assessing conflict (range 8-40).
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Perceived Stress Scale Total Score
Perceived stress will be measuring using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), a 10-item self-report measure with scores ranging from 0-40.
Measured: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jul 2021
- Study start8 Jun 2021
- Primary completion30 Jun 2022
- Study completion30 Jun 2022
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 Stress, PsychologicalStudies 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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Model description
- Potential participants will be provided access to an informed consent form and baseline survey via Qualtrics. After baseline is completed and eligibility confirmed, the study coordinator will randomly assign the participant to one of three app-based intervention conditions: Gratitude, Mindfulness, or control group. Next, the study coordinator will email them to schedule a Zoom meeting. The meeting will last 15 minutes and participants will be informed of what app they will use. After a 14-day period, the study coordinator will send participants a follow-up survey, and a final follow-up Qualtrics survey one month after the intervention ends. Participants will receive $5 for completing the baseline questionnaire, $5 for the immediate post-survey, and $10 for the one-month follow-up survey (participants can receive up to $20). Participants recruited via PeRP will receive one credit for completing the baseline questionnaire, two for the post-survey, and one for the follow-up.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 224 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Sam Houston State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Chelsea Ratcliff, Sam Houston State University
- Investigators
- Chelsea G Ratcliff, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Sam Houston State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04980365
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-2020-230
- Status last verified
- Oct 2022
- First submitted
- 19 Jul 2021
- Last updated
- 27 Oct 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: At this time, there is no plan to share individual participant data with other researchers.
Publications
Ratcliff CG, Langley HA, Torres D, Anderson KS. Randomized controlled trial of brief app-based gratitude and mindfulness interventions for parents of young children. J Fam Psychol. 2025 Sep;39(6):848-860. doi: 10.1037/fam0001347. Epub 2025 Jun 9.
PubMed 40489175
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Oct 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Psychology Mobile Apps for Parents in a Pandemic
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04980365
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB-2020-230
- Conditions
- Stress, Psychological
- Keywords
- Parental stress, Health Psychology, Mental health apps, Mindfulness, Gratitude
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 224 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Sam Houston State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 8 Jun 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Jul 2021 (actual)
- 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.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether parents of young children (aged 10 and under) think it is feasible (in other words, doable) and acceptable (in other words, satisfactory) to use a mobile app designed to provide personalized education and enrichment for 10 minutes/day for 14 days. The investigators hope to learn if it is reasonable to ask parents to use one of three different apps and if parents are satisfied with their participation in the study. If so, the investigators can continue to study the effect of these apps on parents' stress in future research.
The investigators also plan to evaluate the effect of these app-based interventions in lowering levels of stress in parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. By conducting this study, the investigators hope to learn if there are specific app-based interventions that will lead to a reduction in stress in parents, improved parental life satisfaction, and improved parent-child interactions. If the results of this study suggest these apps may be promising at reducing stress among parents, the investigators will continue doing research on these app-based interventions.
Detailed description
Parents will be invited to participate in a research study to see what parents of young children (aged 10 and under) think of using one of three different mobile app-based interventions to improve parental life satisfaction. The study will be conducted by Dr. Chelsea Ratcliff and Dr. Hillary Langley, Assistant Professors of Psychology at Sam Houston State University. In addition to learning about parents' satisfaction with these app-based interventions, the investigators also plan to compare the effect of these app-based interventions on levels of parental stress, and on quality of parent-child interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of this research is to learn if it is reasonable to ask parents to use one of three different apps and if parents are satisfied with their participation in the study. If so, the investigators can continue to study the effect of these apps. The investigators also plan to evaluate the effect of these app-based interventions in lowering levels of stress in parents. By conducting this study, the investigators hope to learn if there are specific app-based interventions that will lead to a reduction in stress in parents, improved parental life satisfaction, and improved parent-child interactions.
In order to be eligible to participate, participants must be 18 years old or older, and a parent or primary caregiver of a child/children aged 10 years or young. Participants will first consent to participate by signing their name electronically using the mouse at the end of this consent form and providing their name and email address so the investigators can maintain contact. After reading this consent form and agreeing to it, participants will be directed to complete the first survey, which will take about 30 minutes to complete. They will be asked to complete two short questionnaires to determine their eligibility for the study. Participants will receive a $5 gift card for completing the first questionnaire.
After completing the pre-intervention survey, participants will be randomly assigned to use one of three psychology mobile apps. The study coordinator will email them to set up a 15-minute Zoom meeting in order to provide more information about the intervention and to help download the app that they were assigned. After the 14-day period, the study coordinator will email participants a link to a 20-minute follow-up survey, and they will receive a $5 gift card for completing this survey. One month later, the study coordinator will email participants a link to the final follow-up survey, and you will receive a $10 gift card for completing this survey. Thus, participants can earn up to $20 in Amazon gift cards for participating in this study ($5 for the pre-intervention survey, $5 for the immediate post-intervention survey, and $10 for the one-month post-intervention survey).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Potential participants will be provided access to an informed consent form and baseline survey via Qualtrics. After baseline is completed and eligibility confirmed, the study coordinator will randomly assign the participant to one of three app-based intervention conditions: Gratitude, Mindfulness, or control group. Next, the study coordinator will email them to schedule a Zoom meeting. The meeting will last 15 minutes and participants will be informed of what app they will use. After a 14-day period, the study coordinator will send participants a follow-up survey, and a final follow-up Qualtrics survey one month after the intervention ends. Participants will receive $5 for completing the baseline questionnaire, $5 for the immediate post-survey, and $10 for the one-month follow-up survey (participants can receive up to $20). Participants recruited via PeRP will receive one credit for completing the baseline questionnaire, two for the post-survey, and one for the follow-up.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness | Experimental | Behavioral: MindfulnessParticipants will be asked to use the app Mindfulness Coach 10 minutes for 14 days. |
| Gratitude | Experimental | Behavioral: GratitudeParticipants will be asked to use the app Grateful 10 minutes for 14 days. |
| Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Food JournalParticipants will be asked to use the app Day One daily for 10 minutes. Participants will be writing a daily journal entry describing what they ate during the previous day for 14 days. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Only individuals aged 18 and older will be allowed to participate in the current research (assessed by participant self-report).
- Individuals must identify oneself as a parent or primary caregiver of a child/children aged 10 or under (assessed by participant self-report).
- Participants who score 30 or higher in the Parent Stress Scale (PSS) measure.
- Participants who reside in the U.S. and can understand and answer surveys in English.
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Individuals under 18
- Non-English-speaking individuals
- Individuals who do not consent to the survey.
- Individuals who do not identify oneself as a parent or primary caregiver of a child/children under the age of 10 (assessed by participant self-report).
- Individuals who score 30 or lower in the PSS measure.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MindfulnessParticipants will be asked to use the app Mindfulness Coach daily for 10 minutes. Participants will follow app instructions for brief guided meditation sessions for 14 days. | Behavioural | Mindfulness |
| GratitudeParticipants will be asked to use the app Grateful daily for 10 minutes. Participants will follow app instructions and will be answering to prompts related to gratitude provided by the app daily, for 10 minutes for 14 days. | Behavioural | Gratitude |
| Food JournalParticipants will be asked to use the app Day One daily for 10 minutes. Participants will be writing a daily journal entry describing what they ate during the previous day for 14 days. | Behavioural | Control |
Primary outcome
Parental Stress Scale Total Score
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Parental stress will be measured with The Parental Stress Scale, an 18-item self report scale; scores range from 18-90.
7 secondary outcomes
Five Facet Questionnaire: Short Form Total Score
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Gratitude Questionnaire-6 Total Score
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised Short Form Total Score
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Dyadic Adjustment Scale Total Score
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Positive & Negative Affect Scores
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Child-Parent Relationship Scale Closeness & Conflict Scores
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
Perceived Stress Scale Total Score
Time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)
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 27 Oct 2022.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40489175Ratcliff CG, Langley HA, Torres D, Anderson KS. Randomized controlled trial of brief app-based gratitude and mindfulness interventions for parents of young children. J Fam Psychol. 2025 Sep;39(6):848-860. doi: 10.1037/fam0001347. Epub 2025 Jun 9.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. At this time, there is no plan to share individual participant data with other researchers.
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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.
Chelsea G Ratcliff, Ph.D. principal investigator
Sam Houston State University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Mindfulness, Gratitude and Food Journal in people with Stress, Psychological, run by Sam Houston State University at 1 site in United States.
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 6 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 27 Oct 2022. 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 United States. 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?
Parental Stress Scale Total Score (time frame: T1 (before intervention); T2 (immediately after intervention); T3 (1-month after intervention)). 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 NCT04980365, 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 27 Oct 2022.