Well-Being, PsychologicalNCT07331922
Mental Health App and Impact on Wellbeing
A study testing mental health app in people with Well-Being, Psychological, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if intervention with Landing Place mental health app can support wellness in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can the app increased well-being in college students? Will the app have increased use and usability by the college students? Researchers… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Well-Being, Psychological
- What is being tested?
- mental health app
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 160 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Aug 2026to May 2027
- 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 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Penn State Behrend students
- Over the age of 18
- Must have an iPhone
Who cannot join
- People outside of Penn State
- Minors
- People currently in therapy
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
PennState the Beherend College/VAR Lab
Erie, Pennsylvania, 16563
Christopher R Shelton, PhD, : 814-898-6082, cshelton@psu.edu
About this study
Official title: Landing Place: Impact of the Landing Place Mental Health App on Mental Health and Well-being
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if intervention with Landing Place mental health app can support wellness in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Can the app increased well-being in college students? Will the app have increased use and usability by the college students? Researchers will compare two groups of participants to see if the app intervention will increase wellbeing and app usability rates.
Participants will randomly assigned into group 1 and 2. Group 1 will not use the app at all. Group 2 will use the app almost every day for 4 weeks.
Read the detailed description
Mental health concerns across the United States have increased substantially, affecting individuals across age groups, geographic regions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Emerging adults demonstrate the highest prevalence of mental health conditions among adult populations, while simultaneously exhibiting the lowest rates of treatment utilization. Barriers to treatment for this population include limited affordability, accessibility, availability, and acceptability of mental health services.
Digital mental health interventions have demonstrated effectiveness across a range of outcomes, including symptom reduction, self-management, and well-being enhancement. Smartphone-based applications, in particular, have been evaluated as tools to integrate mental health support through scalable and accessible technologies. Such applications may offer features including guided self-help activities, mindfulness practices, journaling, mood tracking, psychoeducational content, and location-based resources for mental health services.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges among U.S. college students have intensified, with documented impacts on academic performance and overall functioning. These challenges are further exacerbated by stigma, financial constraints, and limited access to campus-based or community mental health services, particularly for students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
In response to these needs, Penn State Behrend's Virtual/Augmented Reality (VAR) Lab developed the Landing Place mental health app, a free digital intervention designed to support mental wellness among college students in the Erie region. The application was developed with an emphasis on usability, privacy, and accessibility, and is tailored to the developmental and contextual needs of young adults. Planned future iterations of the application aim to extend its use to additional populations, such as survivors of domestic violence.
The Landing Place app incorporates artificial intelligence, supported features and evidence-based therapeutic components, including mindfulness exercises, goal-setting activities, journaling, mood tracking, and educational content related to mental health and coping strategies. This clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness, usability, and acceptability of the application when used as a self-guided mental wellness intervention among college students.
The study examines multiple forms of data, including behavioral change measures, user engagement metrics, usability assessments, and participant feedback, to assess the app's utility in supporting well-being. It is hypothesized that participants who use the application will demonstrate increased well-being compared to a control group, along with higher engagement and acceptability of the app-based intervention modality.
- Conditions
- Well-Being, Psychological
- Being tested
- mental health app
- Keywords
- Digital Mental Health, College Students, Well-being
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
mental health appBehavioural
The intervention will be the use of an AI-powered mental health app that includes activities based on evidence-based therapeutic techniques, mindfulness, goal setting, journaling, mood tracking, and educational material. The app is secure, easy-to-use, and customized for the needs of the college students.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | Group 1 will not use the app at all. |
| App-intervention group | Experimental | Group 2 will use the mental health app almost every day for 4 weeks. The following activities must be completed in-app by participants in this arm:
* Cognitive exercise (2 per week)
* Mindfulness (2 per week)
* Mood tracker (4 per week)
* Chat feature (2 per week)
* Articles (3 across the 4 weeks)
* Journal (3 across the 4 weeks)
* To-do (related to the goal, once a week)
* Goals (1 goal at the beginning) Receives: Behavioral: mental health app |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Well-being related to Attention and Cognitive Functioning
Attention-related symptoms will be assessed using the DSM-5-TR Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Measure, a self-report scale evaluating attentional functioning. Scores vary by subscale, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 5 weeks
Well-being related to Health-related quality of life
Health-related quality of life will be measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). The instrument generates domain scores ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better perceived health and well-being.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Well-being related to Mental Health Symptom Severity
Mental health symptom severity will be assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - 21 Items (DASS-21), a self-report instrument measuring symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Well-being related to Functional Impairment
Functional impairment will be evaluated using the Brief Functional Impairment Scale - Long Form (BFIS-LF), which assesses impairment across daily functioning domains. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater functional impairment.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Secondary outcomes (3)
Usability
App usability will be assessed using the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire - Standalone Patient App Version (MAUQ-SPA), a self-report instrument designed to evaluate the usability of standalone mHealth applications. Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale, and total scores range from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating better perceived usability.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5 weeks
Usage
Patterns of mobile health application use will be assessed using the mHealth Usage Questionnaire, a self-report measure evaluating frequency and duration of app use. Scores are reported in units on a scale, with higher scores indicating greater application use.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Engagement
Engagement with mobile health technology will be measured using the mHealth Technology Use Questionnaire, which assesses overall use and engagement with mHealth technologies. Scores are reported in units on a scale, with higher scores indicating greater technology engagement.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Jan 2026
- Study startAug 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionMay 2027 (estimated)
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 Well-Being, PsychologicalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Penn State 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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 160 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Penn State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Christopher Shelton, Penn State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07331922
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00024830
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 18 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 6 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Publications
Andersson, G., & Titov, N. (2014). Advantages and limitations of Internet-based interventions for common mental disorders. World Psychiatry; Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 13(1), 4-11. doi:10.1002/wps.20083 PMID:24497236 Barak, A., Hen, L., Boniel-Nissim, M., & Shapira, N. (2008). A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 26(2-4), 109-160. doi:10.1080/15228830802094429 Boggs, J. M., Beck, A., Felder, J. N., Dimidjian, S., Metcalf, C. A., & Segal, Z. V. (2014). Web-Based Intervention in Mindfulness Meditation for Reducing Residual Depressive Symptoms and Relapse Prophylaxis: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(3), e87. doi:10.2196/jmir.3129 PMID:24662625 Hedman, E., El Alaoui, S., Lindefors, N., Andersson, E., Rück, C., Ghaderi, A., Kaldo, V., Lekander, M., Andersson, G., & Ljótsson, B. (2014). Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Internet- vs. group-based cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder: 4-year follow-up of a randomized trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 59, 20-29. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.05.010 PMID:24949908 Luxton, D. D., McCann, R. A., Bush, N. E., Mishkind, M. C., & Reger, G. M. (2011). mHealth for mental health: Integrating smartphone technology in behavioral healthcare. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 42(6), 505-512. doi:10.1037/a0024485 Proudfoot, J. G. (2004). Computer-based treatment for anxiety and depression: Is it feasible? Is it effective? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 28(3), 353-363. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2004.03.008 PMID:15225977 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 17-5044, NSDUH Series H-52). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Landing Place: Impact of the Landing Place Mental Health App on Mental Health and Well-being
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07331922
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00024830
- Conditions
- Well-Being, Psychological
- Keywords
- Digital Mental Health, College Students, Well-being
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 160 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Penn State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Jan 2026 (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 goal of this clinical trial is to learn if intervention with Landing Place mental health app can support wellness in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Can the app increased well-being in college students? Will the app have increased use and usability by the college students? Researchers will compare two groups of participants to see if the app intervention will increase wellbeing and app usability rates.
Participants will randomly assigned into group 1 and 2. Group 1 will not use the app at all. Group 2 will use the app almost every day for 4 weeks.
Detailed description
Mental health concerns across the United States have increased substantially, affecting individuals across age groups, geographic regions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Emerging adults demonstrate the highest prevalence of mental health conditions among adult populations, while simultaneously exhibiting the lowest rates of treatment utilization. Barriers to treatment for this population include limited affordability, accessibility, availability, and acceptability of mental health services.
Digital mental health interventions have demonstrated effectiveness across a range of outcomes, including symptom reduction, self-management, and well-being enhancement. Smartphone-based applications, in particular, have been evaluated as tools to integrate mental health support through scalable and accessible technologies. Such applications may offer features including guided self-help activities, mindfulness practices, journaling, mood tracking, psychoeducational content, and location-based resources for mental health services.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges among U.S. college students have intensified, with documented impacts on academic performance and overall functioning. These challenges are further exacerbated by stigma, financial constraints, and limited access to campus-based or community mental health services, particularly for students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
In response to these needs, Penn State Behrend's Virtual/Augmented Reality (VAR) Lab developed the Landing Place mental health app, a free digital intervention designed to support mental wellness among college students in the Erie region. The application was developed with an emphasis on usability, privacy, and accessibility, and is tailored to the developmental and contextual needs of young adults. Planned future iterations of the application aim to extend its use to additional populations, such as survivors of domestic violence.
The Landing Place app incorporates artificial intelligence, supported features and evidence-based therapeutic components, including mindfulness exercises, goal-setting activities, journaling, mood tracking, and educational content related to mental health and coping strategies. This clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness, usability, and acceptability of the application when used as a self-guided mental wellness intervention among college students.
The study examines multiple forms of data, including behavioral change measures, user engagement metrics, usability assessments, and participant feedback, to assess the app's utility in supporting well-being. It is hypothesized that participants who use the application will demonstrate increased well-being compared to a control group, along with higher engagement and acceptability of the app-based intervention modality.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | –Group 1 will not use the app at all. |
| App-intervention group | Experimental | Behavioral: mental health appGroup 2 will use the mental health app almost every day for 4 weeks. The following activities must be completed in-app by participants in this arm: * Cognitive exercise (2 per week) * Mindfulness (2 per week) * Mood tracker (4 per week) * Chat feature (2 per week) * Articles (3 across the 4 weeks) * Journal (3 across the 4 weeks) * To-do (related to the goal, once a week) * Goals (1 goal at the beginning) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Penn State Behrend students
- Over the age of 18
- Must have an iPhone
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- People outside of Penn State
- Minors
- People currently in therapy
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 |
|---|---|---|
| mental health appThe intervention will be the use of an AI-powered mental health app that includes activities based on evidence-based therapeutic techniques, mindfulness, goal setting, journaling, mood tracking, and educational material. The app is secure, easy-to-use, and customized for the needs of the college students. | Behavioural | App-intervention group |
Primary outcome
Well-being related to Attention and Cognitive Functioning
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 5 weeks
Attention-related symptoms will be assessed using the DSM-5-TR Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Measure, a self-report scale evaluating attentional functioning. Scores vary by subscale, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Well-being related to Health-related quality of life
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Health-related quality of life will be measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). The instrument generates domain scores ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better perceived health and well-being.
Well-being related to Mental Health Symptom Severity
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Mental health symptom severity will be assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - 21 Items (DASS-21), a self-report instrument measuring symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Well-being related to Functional Impairment
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Functional impairment will be evaluated using the Brief Functional Impairment Scale - Long Form (BFIS-LF), which assesses impairment across daily functioning domains. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater functional impairment.
3 secondary outcomes
Usability
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 5 weeks
Usage
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
Engagement
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 5 weeks
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 6 May 2026.
- BackgroundAndersson, G., & Titov, N. (2014). Advantages and limitations of Internet-based interventions for common mental disorders. World Psychiatry; Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 13(1), 4-11. doi:10.1002/wps.20083 PMID:24497236 Barak, A., Hen, L., Boniel-Nissim, M., & Shapira, N. (2008). A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 26(2-4), 109-160. doi:10.1080/15228830802094429 Boggs, J. M., Beck, A., Felder, J. N., Dimidjian, S., Metcalf, C. A., & Segal, Z. V. (2014). Web-Based Intervention in Mindfulness Meditation for Reducing Residual Depressive Symptoms and Relapse Prophylaxis: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(3), e87. doi:10.2196/jmir.3129 PMID:24662625 Hedman, E., El Alaoui, S., Lindefors, N., Andersson, E., Rück, C., Ghaderi, A., Kaldo, V., Lekander, M., Andersson, G., & Ljótsson, B. (2014). Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Internet- vs. group-based cognitive behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder: 4-year follow-up of a randomized trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 59, 20-29. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.05.010 PMID:24949908 Luxton, D. D., McCann, R. A., Bush, N. E., Mishkind, M. C., & Reger, G. M. (2011). mHealth for mental health: Integrating smartphone technology in behavioral healthcare. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 42(6), 505-512. doi:10.1037/a0024485 Proudfoot, J. G. (2004). Computer-based treatment for anxiety and depression: Is it feasible? Is it effective? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 28(3), 353-363. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2004.03.008 PMID:15225977 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 17-5044, NSDUH Series H-52). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
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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 mental health app in people with Well-Being, Psychological, run by Penn 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 3 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 May 2026. 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?
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 Christopher R Shelton, PhD (814-898-6082, cshelton@psu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Well-being related to Attention and Cognitive Functioning (time frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 5 weeks). The study lists 4 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 NCT07331922, 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 6 May 2026.