JoyPop App for Mental Health in Students

Overseen By Aislin R Mushquash, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Lakehead University

Disqualifiers: Non-student, Under 18, Over 25, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 8 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a mobile app called JoyPop to determine its effectiveness in helping college and university students manage stress and improve mental health. The main goal is to assess whether using the app enhances students' emotional regulation compared to not using it. The trial will also examine changes in overall mental health, wellbeing, and resilience, as well as any reduction in other health-related expenses. Students aged 18-25 who experience stress and have access to an iOS device may be suitable candidates for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study provides students the chance to contribute to innovative research that could improve stress management tools for their peers.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on using an app to improve mental health, so it's likely you can continue your medications, but you should confirm with the trial organizers.

What prior data suggests that the JoyPop app is safe for students?

Research shows that the JoyPop app is generally safe for users. Designed to help students manage emotions and build resilience, studies have found it supports mental health without causing harm.

No reports indicate any negative effects from the app. As a digital tool, it lacks the side effects associated with medications, making it easy for users to handle.

Students have used the app without safety issues. Overall, evidence suggests that the JoyPop app is a safe way to support students' mental health. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the JoyPop app because it offers a fresh, digital approach to supporting mental health in students. Unlike traditional therapy or medication, JoyPop provides an interactive platform that students can access anytime and anywhere, making mental health support more accessible and less stigmatized. The app focuses on helping users build resilience and manage stress through engaging activities and self-reflection tools. This innovative, user-friendly delivery method could revolutionize how mental health support is provided, especially for tech-savvy students who might otherwise hesitate to seek help.

What evidence suggests that the JoyPop app is effective for improving emotion regulation in students?

Research has shown that the JoyPop app, which participants in this trial may receive, helps college students manage emotions better, reduce stress, and feel less depressed. One study found that students using the app handled their emotions more effectively and bounced back from challenges. Another small study found that JoyPop improved everyday resilience, especially in young people. Overall, students have generally liked the app and shared positive feedback. These findings suggest that the JoyPop app may effectively support students' mental health and well-being. ^{1 3 5 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for post-secondary students aged 18-25 who speak and read English fluently. Participants must attend an orientation and need access to an iOS device to download the JoyPop app, which may be provided if they don't have one.

Inclusion Criteria

I am currently a college or university student.

In order to download the JoyPop app, participants will need access to an iOS device (e.g., iPhone, iPad). Refurbished iPhones containing just the JoyPop app may be provided to participants to use for the duration of the trial if they do not have access to their own

I can attend an orientation session, either online or in person.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive access to the JoyPop app for 8 weeks to improve emotion regulation

8 weeks

Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks (virtual assessments)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in mental health, wellbeing, and resilience after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• JoyPop

Trial Overview The effectiveness of the JoyPop mobile app in improving emotion regulation among students is being tested against no intervention using a randomized controlled trial design. The study also looks at mental health, wellbeing, resilience, cost-effectiveness, and user satisfaction with the app.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: JoyPop Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will receive access to the Joypop app for 8 weeks.

Group II: No Intervention Active Control 1 Intervention

No intervention will be offered. After 8 weeks in the control condition, participants will be offered access to the JoyPop app.

JoyPop is already approved in Canada for the following indications:

Approved in Canada as JoyPop for:

• Emotion regulation difficulties
• Stress
• Depression
• Anxiety

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Lakehead University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

29

Recruited

3,900+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The Mentali platform, a mobile and web application developed for mental health screening, successfully identified 40 first-year medical students with positive screenings for anxiety and/or depression out of 155 participants over 22 weeks.

The study demonstrated that 65% of those identified accepted psychological support, confirming the effectiveness of Mentali as a tool for early detection of mental health issues in young adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development of an Auxiliary Platform (Mentali) for the Primary Screening of Anxiety and Depression in Young Adults. Solis-Galvan, JA., Vazquez-Reyes, S., Garza-Veloz, I., et al.[2023]

A study of 73 mental health apps found that 64% claimed to be effective in diagnosing conditions or improving symptoms, but only one app cited published literature to support its claims.

While scientific language was often used to back up effectiveness claims (44%), many of these claims lacked high-quality evidence, highlighting the need for better validation and certification processes in app development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using science to sell apps: Evaluation of mental health app store quality claims. Larsen, ME., Huckvale, K., Nicholas, J., et al.[2020]

The JoyPop™ mobile app was well-received by Indigenous youth, with all five participants using it daily and finding it easy to navigate, indicating strong acceptability and feasibility for mental wellness support.

Participants highlighted the app's cultural resonance, particularly appreciating features like water sounds and the alignment with the 'Good Mind' perspective, while suggesting enhancements such as more gaming options and Indigenous design elements for better cultural appropriateness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Exploring the feasibility of a mental health application (JoyPopTM) for Indigenous youth. Au-Yeung, A., Marfatia, D., Beers, K., et al.[2023]

Digital mental health apps have been shown to effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, with a small-to-medium overall effect size based on a meta-analysis of 25 studies involving 4159 participants.

Apps that included more engagement features tended to have larger effects on clinical outcomes, but surprisingly, there was a negative correlation between the use of persuasive system design features and user engagement, suggesting that simply adding features may not guarantee higher completion rates.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of techniques to increase engagement. Wu, A., Scult, MA., Barnes, ED., et al.[2023]

A transdiagnostic mobile app intervention was developed to help university students manage mental health issues like anxiety and depression through exercises based on various therapeutic approaches, with 200 students participating in a microrandomized trial over 3 weeks.

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the app in improving emotional regulation skills and reducing distress symptoms, with preliminary data showing high engagement rates (93.6% participation) and ongoing analysis to refine the intervention for future trials.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Optimization of a Transdiagnostic Mobile Emotion Regulation Intervention for University Students: Protocol for a Microrandomized Trial. Laure, T., Engels, RCME., Remmerswaal, D., et al.[2023]

The Minder app, designed specifically for university students, is being tested in a randomized controlled trial with 1496 participants to evaluate its effectiveness in improving mental health and reducing substance use over a 30-day period.

Primary outcomes include changes in anxiety, depression, and alcohol consumption, with assessments occurring at baseline, 2 weeks, and 30 days, aiming to provide scalable mental health support for students during a critical life transition.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Codeveloped e-Mental Health Intervention for University Students: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Wang, AY., Vereschagin, M., Richardson, CG., et al.[2023]

The smartphone app designed to promote mental well-being did not significantly increase 'Sharing, Mind, and Enjoyment' (SME) behaviors among adolescents, with only 11.2% of students using it with their parents, but it did enhance awareness of anxious symptoms significantly at both 1 and 3 months follow-up.

Post hoc analysis revealed that students who used the app with their parents showed a notable increase in SME-related behaviors at 3 months compared to the control group, suggesting that parental involvement may enhance the app's effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Smartphone App for Promoting Mental Well-being and Awareness of Anxious Symptoms in Adolescents: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Sun, Y., Wang, MP., Ho, SY., et al.[2022]

The JoyPop™ app was well-received by both youth (6 participants aged 12-17) and mental health service providers (7 participants aged 32-60), with users finding it easy to learn and use, and beneficial for accessing coping skills and improving mental health outcomes.

Both groups expressed positive feelings about the app's integration into traditional mental health services, although they also raised concerns about mobile health apps in general and provided suggestions for improvement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Female youth and mental health service providers' perspectives on the JoyPop™ app: a qualitative study. Malik, I., Perez, A., Toombs, E., et al.[2023]

Patients with anxiety or depression showed significant reductions in their symptoms, as measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores, after using the mindLAMP app in conjunction with clinical visits over a median of 83 days.

High engagement with the app did not directly correlate with better clinical outcomes, suggesting that factors like patient satisfaction with the app and clinician support may play a more critical role in treatment effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Smartphone app engagement and clinical outcomes in a hybrid clinic. Chang, S., Gray, L., Torous, J.[2023]

POD Adventures is a blended problem-solving game-based intervention designed for adolescents in India, developed through extensive stakeholder engagement and user-testing with 126 participants, including students and service providers.

The intervention aims to provide accessible mental health support through a gamified app, emphasizing relatability and interactivity, and will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial to assess its effectiveness in low-resource school settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Design and Development of the "POD Adventures" Smartphone Game: A Blended Problem-Solving Intervention for Adolescent Mental Health in India. Gonsalves, PP., Hodgson, ES., Kumar, A., et al.[2023]

The gamified mobile mental health app eQuoo significantly improved resilience, personal growth, and psychological well-being in 358 participants over a 5-week randomized controlled trial, compared to control groups.

With a high adherence rate of 90%, eQuoo retained 21% more participants than the control or waitlist groups, suggesting that gamification can enhance engagement and reduce dropout rates in mental health interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Gamification as an approach to improve resilience and reduce attrition in mobile mental health interventions: A randomized controlled trial. Litvin, S., Saunders, R., Maier, MA., et al.[2020]

Mobile applications have been shown to effectively reduce symptoms in patients with mental disorders, including depression, mania, and psychosis, based on a systematic review of 14 randomized controlled trials involving 1307 patients.

Interventions that include features like feedback, notifications, and data tracking lead to better outcomes, suggesting that well-designed mobile apps can serve as valuable supplements to traditional clinical treatments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of mobile applications for patients with severe mental illness: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Kim, SK., Lee, M., Jeong, H., et al.[2022]

A study involving 265 college students using mental health apps for three weeks revealed that features like thought diaries and guided meditations, which are based on strong evidence, were particularly appreciated for their effectiveness in supporting self-care goals.

Students valued app functionalities such as progress tracking and crisis support resources, highlighting that a well-designed interface and comprehensive resources can enhance user engagement and motivation in mental health app usage.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

User experiences of college students using mental health applications to improve self-care: Implications for improving engagement. Nagar, R., Quirk, HD., Anderson, PL.[2023]

Psychological health mobile applications are being used for various purposes, including self-management, skills training, and symptom tracking, highlighting their versatility in supporting mental health.

Current evidence suggests that these apps can be effective tools in psychological health practice, but there is a need for careful evaluation of their quality and clinical utility.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Smartphone apps for psychological health: A brief state of the science review. Bush, NE., Armstrong, CM., Hoyt, TV.[2019]

Citations

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Usability and Quality of the JoyPop App The JoyPop app is a resilience-building mental health app with evidence supporting its effectiveness for student mental health. ... safety) of mental health apps ...