Trial results for a digital mental health service aimed at young adults with Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-02-09. The study enrolled a total of 120 participants.
Background
Depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation are significant mental health challenges, particularly among young adults (ages 18-25). Many young adults face barriers to accessing or are not interested in traditional face-to-face psychological treatments. This context highlights the need for accessible and engaging alternative interventions. This feasibility trial explored an 8-week personalized text messaging intervention designed to address these conditions in non-treatment seeking young adults.
Trial design
This completed study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 120 participants. The trial investigated interventions for individuals with Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation. The study compared an 8-week adaptive (personalized) messaging intervention against a non-personalized digital mental health intervention and an active control group that received weekly psychoeducation information via URLs.
Key results
The trial reported several key measurements across different intervention groups:
- Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Score):
- Adaptive Digital Mental Health Intervention Without Coaching: Mean score of 23.52 (Standard Deviation 5.47).
- Non-personalized Digital Mental Health Intervention Without Coaching: Mean score of 23.54 (Standard Deviation 7.84).
- Adaptive Digital Mental Health Intervention With Coaching: Mean score of 24.50 (Standard Deviation 8.02).
- Non-personalized Digital Mental Health Intervention With Coaching: Mean score of 23.78 (Standard Deviation 5.43).
- Active Control: Mean score of 26.58 (Standard Deviation 8.32).
- Engagement Length (Days):
- Adaptive Digital Mental Health Intervention Without Coaching: Mean of 51.4 (Standard Deviation 89.4).
- Non-personalized Digital Mental Health Intervention Without Coaching: Mean of 54.2 (Standard Deviation 7.27).
- Adaptive Digital Mental Health Intervention With Coaching: Mean of 36.2 (Standard Deviation 17.3).
- Non-personalized Digital Mental Health Intervention With Coaching: Mean of 56.2 (Standard Deviation 29.7).
- Active Control: Mean of 50.1 (Standard Deviation 58.2).
- Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Score):
- Adaptive Digital Mental Health Intervention Without Coaching: Mean score of 9.59 (Standard Deviation 4.79).
- Non-personalized Digital Mental Health Intervention Without Coaching: Mean score of 8.79 (Standard Deviation 5.15).
What this means
The posted results provide initial feasibility data on various outcome measures and engagement for digital mental health interventions in young adults with depression and anxiety who may not seek traditional treatment. The reported mean scores and standard deviations for the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Engagement Length offer insights into participant responses across different intervention types, including adaptive and non-personalized messaging, both with and without coaching, as well as an active control. These measurements contribute to understanding the potential of such digital services as an accessible option for this population.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04948268, titled "Digital Mental Health Service for Non-Treatment Seeking Young Adults", were posted on 2026-02-09 on clinicaltrials.gov.