NCT05908565

Project 2: Optimizing Engagement and Outcomes in STAND Digital Therapy

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 240 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal is to optimize peer coaching in order to optimize engagement and outcomes in digital therapy. The unmet mental health needs of community college students are staggering and a growing body of research demonstrates that therapy provided digitally with the assistance of trained community members without advanced degrees in mental health is an effective and scalable way to address these needs. Despite being effective for improving symptoms and functioning in those who engage in it, uptake and engagement in digital therapy is generally quite low. Recent research suggests that this is especially true of Latinx individuals, who tend to have unique and significant unmet mental health needs. To address these issues, Project 2 will examine treatment engagement, treatment satisfaction, symptoms and functioning outcomes among Latinx students at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) receiving digital therapy with peer coaching in the STAND program.

Detailed description

A sample of 240 students who identify as Latinx will be recruited. A 2x2 design will randomize students to 1 of 4 peer coaching conditions (n = 60 per condition): 1) demographic matching + standard supervision, 2) demographic matching + reduced supervision, 3) no demographic matching + standard supervision, and 4) no demographic matching + reduced supervision. Students in the demographic matching condition will be assigned to peer coaches who also identify as Latinx, whereas those in the no demographic matching condition will be assigned to peer coaches who do not identify as Latinx. Supervision will either involve individual session review and personalized feedback or not. Students will participate in this project for 24 weeks and will complete brief weekly assessment batteries and longer assessment batteries at baseline and at weeks 8, 16 and 24. Explanatory/intervening variables that are hypothesized to explain treatment effects will also be explored. In addition to the quantitative data collected from the randomized controlled trial, we will collect and analyze qualitative data from the peer coaches via annual focus groups and will evaluate cost-effectiveness specifically focused on costs related to supervision. These data will inform the iterative refinements made to Tier II in the Signature Project.

Conditions

• Depression
• Anxiety

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Demographic Matching	At randomization, students will be randomized to a Latinx or non-Latinx coach and will be informed whether or not their coach identifies as Latinx. Although we are not recruiting coaches or matching coaches with participants based on gender, gender identity or lived experience with mental health problems, we will collect these data from coaches in order to do conduct secondary exploratory analyses examining these variables as predictors or moderators of outcome.
BEHAVIORAL	Supervision Intensity	Coaches will be assigned to either standard supervision or reduced supervision, with equal distribution across Latinx vs non-Latinx. Coaches assigned to standard supervision will receive weekly supervision by a licensed provider consistent with the procedures outlined in the Data and Safety Monitoring Plan for the Signature Project. Coaches assigned to reduced supervision will attend weekly group supervision, but their session recordings or live sessions will not be reviewed by licensed supervisors or advanced peers and they will not receive personalized feedback about how they are performing in their sessions. Students will not be informed which supervision condition they have been assigned to in order to maintain high treatment expectancies. Of note, this design prohibits the coach and supervisors from being blind to participant condition.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-04-26
• Primary completion: 2026-04-30
• Completion: 2026-04-30
• First posted: 2023-06-18
• Last updated: 2025-07-31

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States