StressFeelSyncNCT06986850
FeelSync: Tailoring Ecological Momentary Assessments and Interventions for Emotion Awareness, Regulation, and Mental Health Outcomes
A study testing FeelSync mobile application and Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application in people with Stress, run by Marta Marciniak at 1 site in Netherlands.
Trial summary
This study investigates how different ways of reflecting on emotions in daily life influence emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and mental health. Using the FeelSync mobile app over the course of seven days, participants are prompted multiple times a day to report on their current emotional state in various… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Stress
- What is being tested?
- FeelSync mobile application and Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 490 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNetherlands
- Study dates
- 12 Mar 2025to 31 Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 30 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Owning a smartphone
- Proficiency in English language
- Being a student
- Age between 18 to 30 years old
Who cannot join
- Severe mental health disorder
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Netherlands1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Marta A Marciniak, Dr, +31 10 754 5276, marciniak@essb.eur.nl
About this study
This study investigates how different ways of reflecting on emotions in daily life influence emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and mental health. Using the FeelSync mobile app over the course of seven days, participants are prompted multiple times a day to report on their current emotional state in various formats (e.g., rating scales, multiple choice, or free text). In some groups, participants also receive brief daily exercises designed to help them practice cognitive reappraisal-a strategy that involves reframing stressful situations to reduce their emotional impact. The study aims to assess not only the overall effectiveness of these reappraisal exercises but also whether the type of emotional self-report used before the intervention affects its impact. All participants complete questionnaires before and after the app phase to track changes in mood, stress, emotional awareness, and regulation.
- Conditions
- Stress
- Being tested
- FeelSync mobile application, Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application
- Keywords
- ecological momentary assessment, ecological momentary intervention, language, cognitive reappraisal, emotion regulation, emotion awareness, mental health
- Medical subject headings
- Language, Emotional Regulation, Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
FeelSync mobile applicationDevice
Ecological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal for distressing autobiographical memories, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal.
Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile applicationDevice
Ecological Momentary Assessment used for self-monitoring of emotional states.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Ecological Momentary Assessment with self-generated emotion description | Active comparator | Ecological Momentary Assessment with participant's self-generated emotion description in an open-ended question form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application |
| Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to select | Active comparator | Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to select in a multiple-choice question form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application |
| Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a Likert scale | Active comparator | Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a seven-point Likert scale, in a slider form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with self-generated emotion description | Experimental | Ecological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with participant's self-generated emotion description in an open-ended question form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: FeelSync mobile application |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with self-generated emotion description in mother tongue | Experimental | Ecological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with participant's self-generated emotion description in an open-ended question form, in participant's mother tongue, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: FeelSync mobile application |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with pre-defined set of emotion items to select | Experimental | Ecological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a seven-point Likert scale, in a slider form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: FeelSync mobile application |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a Likert scale | Experimental | Ecological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a seven-point Likert scale, in a slider form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days Receives: Device: FeelSync mobile application |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perceived Stress Scale
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 0 - 40 Higher scores: Worse outcome (higher perceived stress)
Measured: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Beck Depression Inventory II
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 0 - 63 Higher scores: Worse outcome (more severe depressive symptoms)
Measured: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
Self-report questionnaire, [state scale only], Range: 20 - 80 Higher scores: Worse outcome (greater state anxiety)
Measured: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Self-report questionnaire, Reappraisal subscale: Range 1 - 7 (mean of 6 items) Higher scores: Better outcome (more frequent use of cognitive reappraisal) Suppression subscale: Range 1 - 7 (mean of 4 items) Higher scores: Worse outcome (more frequent use of suppression)
Measured: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Self-report questionnaire, Subscale range: 2 - 10 per strategy
Higher scores:
On adaptive strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, putting into perspective): Better outcome On maladaptive strategies (e.g., rumination, catastrophizing): Worse outcome
Measured: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Toronto Alexithymia Scale
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 20 - 100 Higher scores: Worse outcome (greater difficulties in identifying and describing feelings; lower emotional awareness)
Measured: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Secondary outcomes (1)
Mobile Agnew Relationship Measure
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 16-112 Higher scores: Better outcome (stronger perceived therapeutic alliance with the app/intervention)
Measured: Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 May 2025
- Study start12 Mar 2025
- Primary completion31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for StressStudies 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 490 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Marta Marciniak
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Marta Marciniak, Erasmus University Rotterdam
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06986850
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- ETH2425-0653
- Acronym
- FeelSync
- Status last verified
- May 2025
- First submitted
- 15 May 2025
- Last updated
- 23 May 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Only anonymized data from the self-report questionnaires will be shared via Open Science Framework.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 May 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- FeelSync: Tailoring Ecological Momentary Assessments and Interventions for Emotion Awareness, Regulation, and Mental Health Outcomes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06986850
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FeelSync / ETH2425-0653
- Conditions
- Stress
- Keywords
- ecological momentary assessment, ecological momentary intervention, language, cognitive reappraisal, emotion regulation, emotion awareness, mental health
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 490 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Marta MarciniakUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 12 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 23 May 2025 (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.
This study investigates how different ways of reflecting on emotions in daily life influence emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and mental health. Using the FeelSync mobile app over the course of seven days, participants are prompted multiple times a day to report on their current emotional state in various formats (e.g., rating scales, multiple choice, or free text). In some groups, participants also receive brief daily exercises designed to help them practice cognitive reappraisal-a strategy that involves reframing stressful situations to reduce their emotional impact. The study aims to assess not only the overall effectiveness of these reappraisal exercises but also whether the type of emotional self-report used before the intervention affects its impact. All participants complete questionnaires before and after the app phase to track changes in mood, stress, emotional awareness, and regulation.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 7
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Ecological Momentary Assessment with self-generated emotion description | Active comparator | Device: Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile applicationEcological Momentary Assessment with participant's self-generated emotion description in an open-ended question form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
| Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to select | Active comparator | Device: Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile applicationEcological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to select in a multiple-choice question form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
| Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a Likert scale | Active comparator | Device: Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile applicationEcological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a seven-point Likert scale, in a slider form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with self-generated emotion description | Experimental | Device: FeelSync mobile applicationEcological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with participant's self-generated emotion description in an open-ended question form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with self-generated emotion description in mother tongue | Experimental | Device: FeelSync mobile applicationEcological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with participant's self-generated emotion description in an open-ended question form, in participant's mother tongue, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with pre-defined set of emotion items to select | Experimental | Device: FeelSync mobile applicationEcological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a seven-point Likert scale, in a slider form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
| Ecological Momentary Intervention with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a Likert scale | Experimental | Device: FeelSync mobile applicationEcological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal, provided three times daily and preceded by Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a seven-point Likert scale, in a slider form, in English, provided five times daily for seven consecutive days |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Owning a smartphone
- Proficiency in English language
- Being a student
- Age between 18 to 30 years old
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Severe mental health disorder
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 |
|---|---|---|
| FeelSync mobile applicationEcological Momentary Intervention focused on cognitive reappraisal for distressing autobiographical memories, with a possibility to choose between distancing and positive reappraisal. | Device | Ecological Momentary Intervention with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a Likert scale, Ecological Momentary Intervention with pre-defined set of emotion items to select, Ecological Momentary Intervention with self-generated emotion description, Ecological Momentary Intervention with self-generated emotion description in mother tongue |
| Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile applicationEcological Momentary Assessment used for self-monitoring of emotional states. | Device | Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to rate on a Likert scale, Ecological Momentary Assessment with pre-defined set of emotion items to select, Ecological Momentary Assessment with self-generated emotion description |
Primary outcome
Perceived Stress Scale
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 0 - 40 Higher scores: Worse outcome (higher perceived stress)
Beck Depression Inventory II
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 0 - 63 Higher scores: Worse outcome (more severe depressive symptoms)
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Self-report questionnaire, [state scale only], Range: 20 - 80 Higher scores: Worse outcome (greater state anxiety)
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Self-report questionnaire, Reappraisal subscale: Range 1 - 7 (mean of 6 items) Higher scores: Better outcome (more frequent use of cognitive reappraisal) Suppression subscale: Range 1 - 7 (mean of 4 items) Higher scores: Worse outcome (more frequent use of suppression)
Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Self-report questionnaire, Subscale range: 2 - 10 per strategy Higher scores: On adaptive strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, putting into perspective): Better outcome On maladaptive strategies (e.g., rumination, catastrophizing): Worse outcome
Toronto Alexithymia Scale
Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Self-report questionnaire, Range: 20 - 100 Higher scores: Worse outcome (greater difficulties in identifying and describing feelings; lower emotional awareness)
1 secondary outcome
Mobile Agnew Relationship Measure
Time frame: Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 May 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Only anonymized data from the self-report questionnaires will be shared via Open Science Framework.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing FeelSync mobile application and Ecological Momentary Assessment mobile application in people with Stress, run by Marta Marciniak at 1 site in Netherlands.
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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 May 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 Netherlands. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Marta A Marciniak, Dr (+31 10 754 5276, marciniak@essb.eur.nl), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perceived Stress Scale (time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention, study day 1) and Follow-up (post intervention, study day 9)). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 23 May 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 31 Oct 2026.