Depression Anxiety DisorderNCT07147829
Digital Silence and Mental Health
A study testing digital detox in people with Depression Anxiety Disorder and Sleep Quality, run by Ataturk University.
Trial summary
Social media use has been linked to negative mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, depression, stress, poor sleep quality, and difficulties in emotion regulation. Digital detox interventions, which involve reducing or temporarily eliminating digital engagement, have emerged as a strategy to mitigate… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression Anxiety Disorder, Sleep Quality
- What is being tested?
- digital detox
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 100 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2025to 30 Jan 2026
- 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 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Owning a smartphone
- Using social media for ≥ 8 hours per day
- Not having a diagnosis related to anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, or emotional regulation
- Living in an environment with internet access
- Providing voluntary informed consent
Who cannot join
- Having a history of psychiatric diagnosis
- Currently using psychiatric medication
- Having received psychological counseling in the past 6 months
- Having a diagnosis of sleep disorder
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Digital Silence and Mental Health: The Effects of a Digital Detox Intervention on Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Sleep Quality, and Emotion Regulation in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Social media use has been linked to negative mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, depression, stress, poor sleep quality, and difficulties in emotion regulation. Digital detox interventions, which involve reducing or temporarily eliminating digital engagement, have emerged as a strategy to mitigate these effects. However, current evidence regarding their effectiveness is mixed and limited by short-term follow-ups and methodological variability. This study aims to examine the impact of a digital detox intervention on depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, and emotion regulation in young adults.
- Conditions
- Depression Anxiety Disorder, Sleep Quality
- Being tested
- digital detox
- Medical subject headings
- Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
digital detoxBehavioural
The digital detox intervention differs from other clinical interventions in several key aspects. Unlike pharmacological treatments or traditional psychotherapy, it focuses on behavioral modification by intentionally reducing or eliminating engagement with digital devices and social media for predetermined periods. The intervention emphasizes mindful technology use, limits screen time, and encourages offline activities to restore emotional balance and improve sleep quality. Additionally, it targets the cumulative effects of constant digital exposure, such as information overload, social comparison, and digital dependency, which are not typically addressed in standard mental health interventions. This unique focus on managing digital behavior positions digital detox as a complementary strategy for promoting psychological well-being in young adults.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | Not described |
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: digital detox |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
DASS 21
The DASS-21 was developed by Lovibond and Lovibond as a shortened version of the DASS-42. The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Depression Anxiety Stress-21 (DASS-21) scale in both clinical and non-clinical samples were examined by Sarıçam. In the non-clinical sample, the test-retest correlation coefficients were found to be r = 0.68 for the depression subscale, r = 0.66 for the anxiety subscale, and r = 0.61 for the stress subscale. This scale is a 4-point Likert-type instrument consisting of seven items for each of the three dimensions: depression, anxiety, and stress. A score of 5 or above on the depression subscale, 4 or above on the anxiety subscale, and 8 or above on the stress subscale indicates the presence of the respective problem
Measured: 30 day
PUKİ
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was developed by Buysse et al. and its validity and reliability in Turkey were established by Ağargün et al. The scale assesses an individual's sleep quality over the past month and consists of 24 items. Nineteen of these are self-report questions, and 18 items are scored across seven components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each item is rated on a 0-3 scale, with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. Scores of 5 or below indicate "good sleep quality," while scores above 5 indicate "poor sleep quality." The scale demonstrates a high level of internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.80, and its diagnostic sensitivity (89.6%) and specificity (86.5%) are also high.
Measured: 30 day
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Aug 2025
- Study start1 Oct 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jan 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Depression Anxiety DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Ataturk 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
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ataturk University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Ceylan Aksoy, Agri Ibrahim Cecen University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07147829
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/61811
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 22 Aug 2025
- Last updated
- 18 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Digital Silence and Mental Health: The Effects of a Digital Detox Intervention on Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Sleep Quality, and Emotion Regulation in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07147829
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/61811
- Conditions
- Depression Anxiety Disorder, Sleep Quality
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Ataturk UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Aug 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.
Social media use has been linked to negative mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, depression, stress, poor sleep quality, and difficulties in emotion regulation. Digital detox interventions, which involve reducing or temporarily eliminating digital engagement, have emerged as a strategy to mitigate these effects. However, current evidence regarding their effectiveness is mixed and limited by short-term follow-ups and methodological variability. This study aims to examine the impact of a digital detox intervention on depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, and emotion regulation in young adults.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | – |
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Behavioral: digital detox |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Owning a smartphone
- Using social media for ≥ 8 hours per day
- Not having a diagnosis related to anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, or emotional regulation
- Living in an environment with internet access
- Providing voluntary informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Having a history of psychiatric diagnosis
- Currently using psychiatric medication
- Having received psychological counseling in the past 6 months
- Having a diagnosis of sleep 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 |
|---|---|---|
| digital detoxThe digital detox intervention differs from other clinical interventions in several key aspects. Unlike pharmacological treatments or traditional psychotherapy, it focuses on behavioral modification by intentionally reducing or eliminating engagement with digital devices and social media for predetermined periods. The intervention emphasizes mindful technology use, limits screen time, and encourages offline activities to restore emotional balance and improve sleep quality. Additionally, it targets the cumulative effects of constant digital exposure, such as information overload, social comparison, and digital dependency, which are not typically addressed in standard mental health interventions. This unique focus on managing digital behavior positions digital detox as a complementary strategy for promoting psychological well-being in young adults. | Behavioural | Intervention Group |
Primary outcome
DASS 21
Time frame: 30 day
The DASS-21 was developed by Lovibond and Lovibond as a shortened version of the DASS-42. The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Depression Anxiety Stress-21 (DASS-21) scale in both clinical and non-clinical samples were examined by Sarıçam. In the non-clinical sample, the test-retest correlation coefficients were found to be r = 0.68 for the depression subscale, r = 0.66 for the anxiety subscale, and r = 0.61 for the stress subscale. This scale is a 4-point Likert-type instrument consisting of seven items for each of the three dimensions: depression, anxiety, and stress. A score of 5 or above on the depression subscale, 4 or above on the anxiety subscale, and 8 or above on the stress subscale indicates the presence of the respective problem
PUKİ
Time frame: 30 day
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was developed by Buysse et al. and its validity and reliability in Turkey were established by Ağargün et al. The scale assesses an individual's sleep quality over the past month and consists of 24 items. Nineteen of these are self-report questions, and 18 items are scored across seven components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each item is rated on a 0-3 scale, with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. Scores of 5 or below indicate "good sleep quality," while scores above 5 indicate "poor sleep quality." The scale demonstrates a high level of internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.80, and its diagnostic sensitivity (89.6%) and specificity (86.5%) are also high.
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 18 Sep 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing digital detox in people with Depression Anxiety Disorder and Sleep Quality, run by Ataturk University.
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 4 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Sep 2025. 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?
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 Ceylan AKSOY (+905360595757, ceylangulmez.11@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
DASS 21 (time frame: 30 day). The study lists 2 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 18 Sep 2025.