Text Messages for Stress

Overseen By Simon Goldberg, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if small digital support, such as text messages, helps students manage stress more effectively. Participants will either receive these messages (Microsupport) or not (No Microsupport) to assess any differences in stress levels. This study is ideal for students currently enrolled in the Art and Science of Human Flourishing course. As an unphased trial, it provides a unique opportunity for students to explore innovative stress management techniques.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this SMS intervention is safe for students?

Research has shown that using text messages to manage stress is generally safe and well-received. Studies indicate that these digital tools often aim to lower stress and boost mental health. For instance, one study on a fully automated text-based stress management program found it effective for mental health without any safety issues. Another study examined SMS messages for self-guided care and found them practical and easy to use, indicating they don't pose major safety concerns. Overall, text message interventions like these are designed to support mental well-being without causing harm. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about using text messages for stress management because it's a non-traditional, tech-savvy approach that fits seamlessly into our daily lives. Unlike conventional therapies such as medication or counseling, which require appointments and can be costly, text message support provides timely encouragement and tips directly to your phone. This method is accessible and can be personalized, offering a new way to manage stress without disrupting your schedule.

What evidence suggests that text messages are effective for stress?

Research has shown that support through text messages can reduce stress and improve mental health. In this trial, participants in the "Microsupport" arm will receive text message support, which previous studies have found effective. For example, the "WellBe-LINE" text program helped people manage stress better, improving their mental health. Another program, "Text4Hope," lowered anxiety, depression, and stress in the general population. Additionally, a web and app-based tool helped college students reduce stress. These findings suggest that text message support can effectively manage stress and enhance well-being. ^{4 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Simon Goldberg, PhD

Principal Investigator

Center for Healthy Minds

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for students enrolled in the Art and Science of Human Flourishing course who are interested in seeing if digital support can help manage stress. Specific eligibility details aren't provided, so it's assumed that all students in this course may participate unless further criteria are specified.

Inclusion Criteria

Currently enrolled in ASHF course

Exclusion Criteria

N/A

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive digital support in the form of text messages during the ASHF course

1 month

Daily digital interactions

Post-treatment

Participants complete measures immediately after the intervention period

1 week

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and mindfulness 3 months post-intervention

3 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Text Messages

Trial Overview

The study is testing whether receiving text messages offering support has a positive effect on the well-being of students taking the ASHF course. Around 300 participants will be involved, with the study lasting up to four months.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Microsupport Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: No Microsupport Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,249

Recruited

3,255,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

After 3 months of using the Text4Hope program, participants (n = 373) reported significant reductions in anxiety (22.7%), depressive symptoms (10.3%), and perceived stress (5.7%), indicating its effectiveness in alleviating psychological distress during the pandemic.

The program also led to a notable decrease in the prevalence of moderate to high anxiety symptoms, suggesting that Text4Hope is a convenient and accessible intervention for improving mental health on a population level.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text4Hope: Receiving Daily Supportive Text Messages for 3 Months During the COVID-19 Pandemic Reduces Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. Agyapong, VIO., Hrabok, M., Shalaby, R., et al.[2022]

Parents of overweight and obese children generally find text messaging a promising and acceptable method to support healthy behavior changes, preferring it over traditional communication methods like paper or email.

The study revealed that parents would appreciate receiving text messages 2-3 times a week, especially if the messages are endorsed by their child's doctor and include personalized, actionable strategies for behavior change.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Leveraging text messaging and mobile technology to support pediatric obesity-related behavior change: a qualitative study using parent focus groups and interviews. Sharifi, M., Dryden, EM., Horan, CM., et al.[2021]

SMS (text messaging) is a widely accessible communication tool that can be effectively utilized for health-related messaging, particularly in mental health care.

Technology-delivered interventions like SMS can support mental health patients in their treatment and recovery, providing a valuable resource for both patients and clinicians.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Short message service can be a promising tool for psychiatric patients and clinicians. Vernig, PM., Repique, RJ.[2015]

A web-based SMS system was implemented in the operating room, involving 322 participants who received a total of 685 text messages during the pre-, intra-, and post-operative periods.

The use of SMS significantly reduced family anxiety and improved satisfaction regarding patient care, highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing communication in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reducing the anxiety of surgical patient's families access short message service. Huang, F., Liu, SC., Shih, SM., et al.[2018]

Text messaging programs can effectively help individuals change health behaviors, leveraging automated and interactive messages to guide users through the behavior change process.

The authors provide a structured guide for developing these programs, emphasizing the importance of formative research, design, pretesting, and revision to ensure the program meets the needs of the target audience.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developing and Pretesting a Text Messaging Program for Health Behavior Change: Recommended Steps. Abroms, LC., Whittaker, R., Free, C., et al.[2022]

Text messaging-based mindfulness interventions significantly improved outcomes related to insomnia, pain, and dysregulated eating in three randomized controlled trials involving a total of 919 participants, with effects sustained up to 3 months after the intervention.

The studies identified specific mediating factors, such as dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and pain catastrophizing, that helped explain how the interventions led to improvements in mental health and well-being, highlighting the effectiveness of text messaging as a core intervention modality.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Delivering Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia, Pain, and Dysfunctional Eating Through a Text Messaging App: Three Randomized Controlled Trials Investigating the Effectiveness and Mediating Mechanisms. Li, AC., Wong, KK., Chio, FH., et al.[2022]

Text messaging (SMS) is a highly effective and personal way to deliver behavioral health interventions remotely, leveraging the widespread use of cell phones globally.

Current studies indicate that SMS interventions can successfully promote healthy behaviors and may be more effective than other computerized methods, highlighting the need for future research to optimize SMS features for individual user engagement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Message Behavioral Interventions: From Here to Where? Suffoletto, B.[2022]

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different reminder methods (text messages, reminder calls, or both) in increasing the use of service referrals among 300 participants from community outreach programs.

The research will help determine how mobile phone-based interventions can enhance community engagement and service utilization, potentially guiding future reminder protocols for similar programs across the country.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program. Varma, DS., Hart, M., McIntyre, DS., et al.[2020]

A 36-week SMS-based maintenance treatment (SMSMT) was implemented after a 12-week cognitive behavioral group treatment for 40 children, showing that children adhered to sending 67% of their expected weekly self-monitoring messages.

While there was a significant reduction in Body Mass Index Standard Deviation Scores (BMI-SDS) during the initial treatment phase, the subsequent reduction during SMSMT was not statistically significant, indicating that further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of SMSMT.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancement of care through self-monitoring and tailored feedback via text messaging and their use in the treatment of childhood overweight. Bauer, S., de Niet, J., Timman, R., et al.[2018]

The study analyzed 1550 SMS messages and 4071 participant replies, finding that supportive and informative messages significantly reduced the likelihood of participants prematurely stopping the program, while notification messages increased the chance of stopping.

Machine learning models effectively categorized message intent and participant replies, showing that informative and instructional messages boosted engagement, while motivational messages did not have a significant impact.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Message Analysis Using Machine Learning to Assess Predictors of Engagement With Mobile Health Chronic Disease Prevention Programs: Content Analysis. Klimis, H., Nothman, J., Lu, D., et al.[2022]

A systematic review of 12 studies involving text messaging interventions for behavior change found that 8 out of 9 sufficiently powered studies supported its effectiveness in promoting health behavior changes over periods ranging from 3 to 12 months.

The review highlighted the need for more research in developing countries, as most studies were conducted in developed nations, despite the potential for text messaging to be a low-cost health intervention globally.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management. Cole-Lewis, H., Kershaw, T.[2022]

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