Social Stigma Towards People With AddictionSASNCT06705205
Short, Animated Storytelling (SAS) for Addiction Stigma Reduction
A study testing SAS video in people with Social Stigma Towards People With Addiction, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Stigma towards people with addiction is a well-documented problem that negatively impacts help-seeking, treatment and recovery. Social contact with people recovering from addiction can promote empathy and reduce stigma, but social contact is difficult to scale. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 49 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Stigma Towards People With Addiction
- What is being tested?
- SAS video
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 13,397 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 3 Jul 2025to 22 Aug 2025
- 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 49 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Adults with basic English proficiency between the ages of 18-49
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Short, Animated Storytelling Video to Reduce Addiction Stigma: Protocol for a Multi-country, Online, Randomized, Controlled Trial With 13,500 Participants
Stigma towards people with addiction is a well-documented problem that negatively impacts help-seeking, treatment and recovery. Social contact with people recovering from addiction can promote empathy and reduce stigma, but social contact is difficult to scale. Short, animated storytelling (SAS) is a novel health communication approach that scales easily because it can leapfrog barriers associated with language, culture, literacy and education levels. This study will investigate if a SAS video intervention can be used to reduce stigma, boost optimism and hope, and increasing empathy towards people with addiction. The study will also explore mechanisms of action of SAS interventions, by measuring the contribution of sound design to the effect of the intervention.
- Being tested
- SAS video
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
SAS videoOther
Also called short animated storytelling video
The intervention is a short, animated storytelling video, with soundtrack, aimed at reducing addiction stigma.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| SAS video full intervention group | Experimental | Participants view the full SAS video intervention with sound on Day 1. Receives: Other: SAS video |
| SAS video partial intervention (without sound) | Experimental | Participants view the partial SAS video intervention without sound on Day 1. Receives: Other: SAS video |
| Active Control Group | No intervention | Participants read written information about addiction prevalence |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Addiction Stigma Scale Score as measured by the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ)
Participants complete an 18-item shortened version of the validated AQ. The AQ-18 will be scored along a 9-point Likert scale indicating the extent to which participants agree with the item ranging from "not at all" to "very much" with a maximum score of 27 for each 3-item construct. Higher scores indicate greater stigma.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Secondary outcomes (3)
Change in Optimism Scale Score
Participants complete the Brief García's Interactive Optimism Scale (BIOS-G). The BIOS-G is an instrument designed to assess an individual's level of general optimism towards their life and other people. The scale includes 4 statements for which respondents indicate their level of agreement from 1 ("Of course not") to 4 ("Yes, of course"). Higher scores indicate a greater level of optimism.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Change in Attitude Thermometer Score
Participants will indicate their warmth towards subject using a self-report stigma thermometer. Using a scale scores from zero to 100, with higher scores indicating more empathy or more favorable attitudes.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Change in Levels of Hope using a visual analogue scale (VAS)
Participants self-report levels of hope using a VAS, a longstanding, validated tool for assessing related constructs of stress and subjective well-being. The scale goes from zero to 100 and higher scores indicate higher levels of hope.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Nov 2024
- Study start3 Jul 2025
- Primary completion22 Aug 2025
- Study completion22 Aug 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Social Stigma Towards People With AddictionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Stanford UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 13,397 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Stanford University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Alexander von Humboldt Association, Stanford Center for Digital Health
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Maya Adam, Stanford University
- Investigators
- Maya Adam, MD, PhD, Principal investigator, Stanford University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06705205
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 76457
- Acronym
- SAS
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 22 Nov 2024
- Last updated
- 3 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All data will be made available via the Stanford Medicine Research Repository.
Publications
Adam M, Rohr JK, Greuel M, Seeff M, Margulis E, Gates J, Klapow M, Liu S, Amsalem D, Barnighausen T. Short, animated storytelling social contact videos reduce addiction stigma in the UK, USA, and South Africa: a randomised controlled trial of 13,397 participants. EClinicalMedicine. 2026 Aug 19;99:104129. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104129. eCollection 2026 Sep.
PubMed 42802839Adam M, Klapow M, Greuel M, Seeff M, Rohr JK, Gordon A, Amsalem D, Barnighausen T. Short, Animated Storytelling Video to Reduce Addiction Stigma in 13,500 Participants Across Multiple Countries Through an Online Approach: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 May 5;14:e73382. doi: 10.2196/73382.
PubMed 40324168
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Short, Animated Storytelling Video to Reduce Addiction Stigma: Protocol for a Multi-country, Online, Randomized, Controlled Trial With 13,500 Participants
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06705205
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SAS / 76457
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 13,397 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Stanford UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Alexander von Humboldt Association, Stanford Center for Digital Health
- Study start
- 3 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 22 Aug 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 26 Nov 2024 (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.
Stigma towards people with addiction is a well-documented problem that negatively impacts help-seeking, treatment and recovery. Social contact with people recovering from addiction can promote empathy and reduce stigma, but social contact is difficult to scale. Short, animated storytelling (SAS) is a novel health communication approach that scales easily because it can leapfrog barriers associated with language, culture, literacy and education levels. This study will investigate if a SAS video intervention can be used to reduce stigma, boost optimism and hope, and increasing empathy towards people with addiction. The study will also explore mechanisms of action of SAS interventions, by measuring the contribution of sound design to the effect of the intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| SAS video full intervention group | Experimental | Other: SAS videoParticipants view the full SAS video intervention with sound on Day 1. |
| SAS video partial intervention (without sound) | Experimental | Other: SAS videoParticipants view the partial SAS video intervention without sound on Day 1. |
| Active Control Group | No intervention | –Participants read written information about addiction prevalence |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 49 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Adults with basic English proficiency between the ages of 18-49
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SAS videoAlso: short animated storytelling videoThe intervention is a short, animated storytelling video, with soundtrack, aimed at reducing addiction stigma. | Other | SAS video full intervention group, SAS video partial intervention (without sound) |
Primary outcome
Change in Addiction Stigma Scale Score as measured by the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ)
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Participants complete an 18-item shortened version of the validated AQ. The AQ-18 will be scored along a 9-point Likert scale indicating the extent to which participants agree with the item ranging from "not at all" to "very much" with a maximum score of 27 for each 3-item construct. Higher scores indicate greater stigma.
3 secondary outcomes
Change in Optimism Scale Score
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Change in Attitude Thermometer Score
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
Change in Levels of Hope using a visual analogue scale (VAS)
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks
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 3 Sep 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42802839Adam M, Rohr JK, Greuel M, Seeff M, Margulis E, Gates J, Klapow M, Liu S, Amsalem D, Barnighausen T. Short, animated storytelling social contact videos reduce addiction stigma in the UK, USA, and South Africa: a randomised controlled trial of 13,397 participants. EClinicalMedicine. 2026 Aug 19;99:104129. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104129. eCollection 2026 Sep.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40324168Adam M, Klapow M, Greuel M, Seeff M, Rohr JK, Gordon A, Amsalem D, Barnighausen T. Short, Animated Storytelling Video to Reduce Addiction Stigma in 13,500 Participants Across Multiple Countries Through an Online Approach: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 May 5;14:e73382. doi: 10.2196/73382.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All data will be made available via the Stanford Medicine Research Repository.
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.
Maya Adam, MD, PhD principal investigator
Stanford 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 SAS video in people with Social Stigma Towards People With Addiction, run by Stanford 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 1 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 3 Sep 2025. 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?
Change in Addiction Stigma Scale Score as measured by the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ) (time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two 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 NCT06705205, which also lists 2 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 Sep 2025.