QT-Digital Mental Health Engagement Study

Part of paid clinical trials in Alexandria, Virginia.

Sponsor
University of Washington
Study ID
NCT07278765
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Engagement, Patient

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
14 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • HAPA Engagement Strategies — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will be delivered HAPA-based engagement strategies directly on the MHA website, including on the Results page and targeted Next Steps resource page. The engagement strategies target HAPA behavioral determinants: outcome expectancy, self-efficacy, perceived risk, and barriers and resources. On the Results page, these engagement strategies will be displayed as inline messages designed to quickly reinforce a HAPA behavioral determinant before users choose their Next Steps. On the Next Steps resource page, these HAPA-based engagement strategies will be displayed as inline cards embedded directly within the page layout.

Study Details

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations are disproportionately impacted by mental health concerns relative to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. Despite high need, SGM populations continue to report unmet mental health needs because they cannot or do not access mental health services. Digital Mental Health (DMH) services have been recognized as feasible, economical, and effective options to broaden the availability of mental health care to consumers who face barriers to mental health help-seeking. SGM consumers cite a preference for DMH care and this delivery format holds promise to attend to major mental health care access barriers experienced by this consumer group. Yet, the availability of DMH services tailored to the needs of SGM consumers is limited, and a dearth of research examines SGM populations' actual engagement with DMH services. A potential solution to fully understand how SGM populations utilize DMH services would be to characterize their engagement within a natural setting. Leveraging an established partnership with Mental Health America (MHA), a non-profit mental health advocacy group offering free, evidence-based screenings and self-guided DMH resources, this study will follow a large, naturalistic sample of SGM DMH consumers with the aim to test tailored engagement strategies with SGM DMH consumers using a micro-randomized trial (MRT) design. Results of this study will inform if delivering engagement strategies can meaningfully increase initial and sustained engagement with MHA resources and which types of strategies, specifically, work best for which users.

Key Dates

Start date
Mar 12, 2026
Status verified
May 2026
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2026
Completion
May 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
2,300 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Arms

  • Experimental: HAPA Engagement Strategies
    At each decision point in the MHA Screening Program flow, each eligible participant will be randomized to either receive a HAPA-based engagement strategy or not. Participants will be randomized with equal probability (0.2) to either receive: 1) no engagement strategy (i.e., the standard Next Steps resource page as usual; control), or; 2) one of four types of HAPA-based engagement strategies. Participants randomized to receive an engagement strategy will be randomized with equal probability to an engagement strategy targeting a HAPA construct: 1) outcome expectancy; 2) self-efficacy; 3) perceived risk, and; 4) barriers and resources. The first decision point will be the screening Results page which is displayed immediately after completing the PHQ-9 and optional demographic questions. The second decision point will be the targeted Next Steps resource page that participants click on from the Results page.
  • No Intervention: Results Page Comparator
    Users see the usual MHA Results Page without engagement strategies.
  • No Intervention: Resource Page Comparator
    Users see the usual MHA Next Steps resource pages without engagement strategies.

Primary Outcome Measure

Proximal engagement [ Time Frame: Single web session capped at 30 minutes of inactivity ]

Central Contacts

Locations (2)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Mental Health AmericaAlexandriaVirginia22314-
University of WashingtonSeattleWashington98195-

Find similar trials in Alexandria, VA

By research site
Mental Health America· Alexandria, VAUniversity of Washington· Seattle, WA

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