Digital Self-efficacy Training to Bridge Waiting Times for Psychotherapy
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Digital self-efficacy training, Ecological Momentary Assessment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Psychiatric Disorder, Waiting for Psychotherapy. Basic parameters: 18 years — 65 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Switzerland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
The main aim of this project is to improve waiting periods for specialised psychotherapy. We will apply a brief, smartphone-based self-efficacy training to patients with psychiatric disorders waiting for specialised psychotherapy. Additionally, we will use Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to assess mood, social contacts, and other parameters daily. We will investigate whether the training can improve self-efficacy and related constructs and if it can help reduce stress and waitlist drop-outs during waiting periods. Additionally, we will investigate if the self-efficacy training has a positive effect on motivation and therapeutical relationship regarding the subsequent therapy. After a screening for eligibility, participants will be randomly assigned to intervention and control group. At baseline, participants attend a laboratory session where they are assessed for current psychiatric disorders and further relevant psychological variables. They will then either participate in the digital self-efficacy training combined with EMA (intervention group) or in EMA only (control group). Both will be conducted via a smartphone app. Subsequently, participants will be asked to fill in post questionnaires at three different time points: after having finished app usage, one month later, and after the beginning of the subsequent psychotherapy.
Interventions
- Behavioral Digital self-efficacy training
Prior to the app participation, participants will receive psychoeducation on self-efficacy and will be instructed to define two autobiographical self-efficacy memories (own achievements, e.g., completion of an exam, success in a sporting event). During the week of app participation, they will be prompted three times per day and asked to perform an imagination task. Step by step, they will recall one of their autobiographic self-efficacy memories and focus on their character traits and abilities - Behavioral Ecological Momentary Assessment
Participants will receive questions on mood and social/virtual contacts 3 times per day.
Primary outcome measures
- Change in self-efficacy [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
Secondary outcome measures (7)
- Change in hopelessness [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
- Change in anxiety [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
- Change in stress [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
- Change in therapy expectations [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
- Change in depression [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
- Change in optimism [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
- Change in intolerance of uncertainty [Time frame: baseline to 1 day after the intervention, 1 month after the intervention, within 1 month after the subsequent therapy began]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- psychiatric disorder
- age 18-65
- waiting for psychiatric assessment/treatment (being on waitlist)
- sufficient knowledge of the German language
- smartphone user
- internet access via smartphone
- internet access at home (laptop, tablet, or computer)
Exclusion criteria
- current intense psychotherapy
- acute suicidality
- acute psychotic symptoms
- substance addiction
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
Study locations
Switzerland · 2 centers
- Integrated Psychiatry Winterthur — Winterthur
- Psychiatric University Hospital — Zurich
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05560581 · SeApp III