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Pilot Effectiveness Trial of an ACT Self-help Workbook Tailored Specifically for Prisons

Pilot Effectiveness Trial of an ACT Self-help Workbook Tailored Specifically for Prisons

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06162624
Enrollment
96
Registered
2023-12-08
Start date
2024-12-09
Completion date
2026-09-30
Last updated
2026-05-04

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

Conditions

Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Depression, Anxiety

Keywords

incarcerated

Brief summary

The goal of this research study is to adapt an ACT-self-help workbook to the prison setting and determine the feasibility acceptability, and effectiveness of this workbook. Participants can expect to be in the study for 13 weeks.

Detailed description

The Specific Aims of the proposed study correspond directly to the three-step process. 1. In Step 1 (Specific Aim #1), identify the necessary adaptations to the content, language, and format of an ACT-based self-help workbook through stakeholder input. 2. In Step 2 (Specific Aim #2), refine the workbook and its delivery based on feedback from incarcerated individuals who complete the workbook. 3. In Step 3 (Specific Aim #3), determine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of the ACT self-help workbook in a prison setting. Primary clinical outcome measure will be depression, secondary clinical outcome measure will be anxiety. For each participant assigned to a condition, a study team member will meet with them individually to provide them with a copy of the workbook. During this meeting, the study team member will inform the participant that they should complete one chapter per week. Participants will complete a Pre-Treatment Assessment prior to distribution of the workbook; a Mid-Treatment Assessment four weeks after the distribution of the workbook; a Post-Treatment Assessment #1 eight weeks after distribution of the workbook (when the workbook should be completed); Focus group (after completion of workbook) and, a Post-Treatment Assessment #2 twelve weeks after distribution of the workbook.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT: Therapy that builds in traditional cognitive behavioral therapy principles but emphasizes different processes in behavior change. Delivered over 8 weeks of self-guided study and homework assignments.

As control condition, reflective journaling will be used.

Sponsors

University of Wisconsin, Madison
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Caregiver)

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* 18 years of age or older * Reading level of 6th grade or higher determined by the Wide Range Achievement Test * Moderate or severe anxiety and/or depression determined by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) * No active self-harm or active suicidal intent * No scheduled transfer or release for at least three months * Must be willing and able to participate, including having permission and ability to use study materials, such as paper and a writing utensil

Exclusion criteria

* Unable to provide informed consent * Active self-harm or suicidal intent * Scheduled transfer or release within three months

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Eligible participantsStudy duration, up to 1 yearFeasibility will be assessed by measuring eligibility - percentage of individuals who meet inclusion criteria versus percentage of individuals who are excluded.
Participants who choose to participateStudy duration, up to 1 yearFeasibility will be assessed by measuring the percentage of eligible individuals who choose to participate in the study.
Percentage of participants that complete all 8 weeksStudy duration, up to 1 yearFeasibility will be assessed by measuring the percentage of participants who complete all treatment activities
Qualitative Summary of Reasons for AttritionStudy duration, up to 1 yearFeasibility will be assessed qualitatively by asking participants who leave the study, why they decided to stop. Responses will be coded for themes and summarized with participant counts.
Number of Participants referred for Follow up careUp to 13 weeksSafety will be measured through participant self-report suicidal or self-harm ideation, using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). The C-SSRS is a questionnaire designed to assess the level of risk for self-harm. Any participant that indicates active suicidal ideation with intent to act or active suicidal ideation with a specific plan on the C-SSRS will be referred for follow up care.
Participant SatisfactionUp to 13 weeksAcceptability of the method will be assessed through Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8), which is an 8 item survey with potential scores of 8-32 with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
Change in Mental Health: FlexibilityBaseline to 13 weeksThe Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI) assesses the 12 dimensions of flexibility and inflexibility. Responses have point values from 1 to 6, where higher scores reflect higher levels of the dimension being assessed by each set of items.
Change in Mental Health: Automatic ThoughtsBaseline to 13 weeksThe Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire lists are a variety of thoughts that pop into people's heads. Participants read each thought and indicate how frequently, if at all, the thought has occurred over the past week. 30 questions with a scale of 1-5, with 1 = not at all and 5 = all of the time. Higher scores indicate higher frequency of automatic thoughts.
Change in BAI ScoreBaseline to 13 weeksBeck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) is a 21-item self-reported questionnaire which measures the existence and severity of symptoms of anxiety. Each of the 21 items on BAI tool represents an anxiety symptom. A total score of 0 - 7 is interpreted as a "Minimal" level of anxiety; 8 - 15 as "Mild"; 16 - 25 as "Moderate", and 26 - 63 as "Severe".
Change BDI-II ScoreBaseline to 13 weeksBeck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) Scale is a 21-item self-reported questionnaire which measures the existence and severity of symptoms of depression. Each of the 21 items on BDI-II tool represents a depressive symptom. The symptoms are each scored on a 4-point Likert scale of 0 to 3 (0=symptom is absent; 3=symptom is severe). Scores for each symptom are added up to obtain the total scores for all 21 items. Total score ranges from 0-63; of which 0-8 is considered no depression, 0-13 is minimal depression, 14-19 is mild depression, 20-28 is moderate depression and 29-63 is severe depression.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTMadilyn Michels
mgmichels@wisc.edu920-602-5612
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMichael Koenigs, PhD

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 5, 2026