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Treating Depression With Text Messaging

Treating Depression With Text Delivered Counseling (Depression Study 2.0)

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05551702
Enrollment
103
Registered
2022-09-23
Start date
2022-07-06
Completion date
2025-01-08
Last updated
2025-03-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Moderate Depression

Keywords

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Text-Based Intervention

Brief summary

The purpose of the research study is to investigate whether CBT-txt, a counseling program delivered by text messages is effective in stopping or reducing depressive symptoms. CBT-txt is based on a counseling program that has been proven to reduce depression when delivered in-person and on the web, but has not yet been tested or shown to be effective when delivered by text.

Detailed description

After being informed about the study and potential risks, participants will complete online screening assessments. Once eligibility is confirmed, participants will be randomized either to the intervention group or to the waitlist-control group. Those who are randomized to the intervention group will receive the 8-week text intervention via smartphone and complete assessments at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. Those who are randomized to the waitlist-control group will only complete the assessments at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. Participants who are initially assigned to the waitlist-control group can choose to receive the text intervention once their 3-month participation is complete.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCBT-txt

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy delivered via automated text messaging.

Sponsors

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Participants will be randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the waitlist control group. The treatment group will receive 8 weeks of the text based intervention (CBT-txt) and complete surveys at baseline, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months. The waitlist control group will only do surveys at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months and will then have the option of receiving the intervention after their 3 months of study participation.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* 18 to 25 years old * a score of at least 5 on the PHQ-9 (indicating elevated depression symptoms

Exclusion criteria

* treatment for depression during the past three months * endorse suicide ideation on the PHQ-9\* * lack of access to a text-capable phone * unable or unwilling to commit to two months of follow-up * not fluent in English.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from Baseline Beck Depression Inventory II at 2 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Month, 3 MonthA 21-item instrument for measuring the severity of depression in adults and adolescents aged 13 years and older. Minimum score =0, Maximum=63. Higher scores indicate more depression.
Change from Baseline Beck Depression Inventory II at 3 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Month, 3 MonthA 21-item instrument for measuring the severity of depression in adults and adolescents aged 13 years and older. Minimum score =0, Maximum=63. Higher scores indicate more depression.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from Baseline Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire at 2 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 MonthsA 15 item scale rating statements about negative experiences or problems to identify repetitive negative thinking. Minimum score = 0, Max 60. Higher scores equal more perseverative thinking.
Change from Baseline Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire at 3 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 MonthsA 15 item scale rating statements about negative experiences or problems to identify repetitive negative thinking. Minimum score = 0, Max 60. Higher scores equal more perseverative thinking.
Change from Baseline Types of Thinking Cognitive Distortion Scale at 2 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 MonthsA 10 item scale using scenarios to help recognize cognitive distortions. Minimum score = 20, Maximum = 140. Higher scores equal more cognitive distortions.
Change from Baseline Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale at 3 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 MonthsA 9 items scale to measure how and when participants become activated during behavioral activation treatment. Minimum score = 0, Max = 54. Higher scores equal more behavioral activation.
Change from Baseline Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale at 2 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 MonthsA 9 items scale to measure how and when participants become activated during behavioral activation treatment. Minimum score = 0, Max = 54. Higher scores equal more behavioral activation.
Change from Baseline Types of Thinking Cognitive Distortion Scale at 3 MonthsBaseline, 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 MonthsA 10 item scale using scenarios to help recognize cognitive distortions. Minimum score = 20, Maximum = 140. Higher scores equal more cognitive distortions.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 9, 2026