Telemedicine interventions enable the improvement of behavioral state-of-the-art treatment of OCD, as therapy can be delivered in the patients' immediate home environment, allowing for more valid symptom actualization. In addition, access to experts is made possible even in rural areas, and the inhibition to seek therapy can be reduced. In a preliminary study, our research group was able to demonstrate the efficiency of using telemedical access. SSTeP-KiZ aims at the further development of telemedical treatment of children with OCD by using sensor technology in the home setting, where most symptoms occur. In this context, relevant emotional states of the patients such as anxiety and stress reactions shall be quantified reliably during the therapy session with exposures by combining different sensor modalities. As a result, the therapy procedure can be immediately and individually adapted to the patient and the situation, thus optimizing the success of the treatment. Methods: It is planned to establish the therapy system on a sample of 10 healthy children and 5-10 patients with OCD treated at University Hospital of Tübingen. Afterwards we will recruit 26 children with obsessive-compulsive disorder aged 12-18 years to conduct therapy with them. There are 14 weekly therapy sessions via teleconferencing with the children and parents. During the sessions and exposures, patients' field of view is recorded via eye trackers, measures of stress responses via heart rate and pupillometry, and movement measures for approach-avoidance behaviors. Using an AI approach, these indicators are integrated and reported back to the therapist online to optimize the therapy process. Accompanying app-based daily symptoms will also be collected by the children and parents and processed for use in the therapy process. We expect a good feasibility and significant symptom reduction by this therapeutic approach and the chance to make this system usable for broad clinical application.
The main goal of SSTeP-KiZ is the implementation of sensors in the existing telepsychotherapeutic treatment of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder. SSTeP-KiZ aims to significantly improve the telepsychotherapeutic treatment options for this group of patients through the use of sensors that can be worn during symptom triggering situations at home in patients' everyday lives, and an analysis and incorporation of the multimodal sensor data into the therapeutic process. In the medium term, SSTeP-KiZ should enable the use of real-time data on anxiety and stress levels (pupillometry, heart rate, eye tracking) obtained during therapy sessions by the therapist while the patient is still in the therapy session. Thus, even under the conditions of telepsychotherapy, despite the physical absence of the therapist, the individual intensity of the therapy sessions can be directly adjusted. In addition, the compliance and satisfaction of the patients during the accompanied therapy tasks can be directly promoted. Furthermore, the data obtained within the framework of SSTeP-KiZ should also be suitably prepared concerning the children and adolescents and their relatives and, in the sense of therapeutic feedback, suitably visualized to form an additional component of the therapy. Goals: A. Development of a prototype for a multisensory therapy system in healthy children and adaptation to mentally ill children with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. B. Evaluation of the prototype in the context of an internet-based psychotherapy for mentally ill children with an obsessive-compulsive disorder C: Preparations for the introduction of the multisensory therapy system into broad clinical application in the health care system Sample I: 10 healthy children: Sample II: 5-10 patients of University Hospital Tübingen with OCD. Sample III\&IV: 6 \& 20 children with OCD.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
20
26 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) receive treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy. 14 sessions will take place via the internet.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy
Tübingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
System Usability Scale (SUS) - assessment of the change in the handling of the technical equipment during treatment
Patients are to answer a total of 60 questions with 10 questions for each technical device from the system usability scale (SUS), regarding the handling of the technical equipment and to capture the change in it.
Time frame: After week 1, week 7 and week 14
Therapy Process Questionnaire (TPQ) - assessing the stability of the therapeutic relationship and possible changes in the treatment process
Patients are to rate how they perceive the therapeutic process.
Time frame: Weekly after each therapy session, for 14 weeks of therapy
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8)
We assess participant's perceptions of the value of the treatment they received
Time frame: After the last session in week 14 (post treatment)
Questionnaire for the evaluation of the treatment (FBB)
It records how satisfied the participants were with the treatment. We reduced the total number of questions from 20 to 17, as 3 items covered circumstances that did not occur in the context of internet-based therapy.
Time frame: After the last session in week 14 (post treatment)
Change in Health Care Utilization, measured by HCU-Q (Health Care Utilization-Questionnaire)
Questionnaire to capture costs and time spent on online-based treatments; Health Care Utilization-Questionnaire, change is assessed between baseline and the last session.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Change in Quality of Life: EQ-5D-3L (European Quality of Life Five Dimensions Questionnaire)
Questionnaire to capture costs and time spent on online-based treatments: Questionnaire to capture costs and time spent on online-based treatments, measured by European Quality of Life Five Dimensions Questionnaire Three Level Version (EQ-5D-3L).
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Change in costs spent on online interventions: CIIQ (Caregiver Indirect and Informal Care Cost Assessment Questionnaire)
Questionnaire to capture costs and time spent on online-based treatments: Caregiver Indirect and Informal Care Cost Assessment Questionnaire (CIIQ)
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Change in affinity for technology (TA-EG)
Technology Affinity Questionnaire (TA-EG): The TA-EG can be answered by patients and their parents and contains 19 items. It measures the attitude towards and use of electronic devices.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Change in attitudes toward and satisfaction with telemedicine psychotherapy (EZtP)
Questionnaire on the Attitude and Satisfaction of Telemedicine Psychotherapy (EZtP). The EZtP is a self-developed questionnaire that measures attitudes to and satisfaction with telemedicine psychotherapy. It can be answered by both the adolescents and the parents.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Barriers to Treatment Participation Scale (BTPS)
The Barriers to Treatment Participation Scale, is a 44 item rating of how much parents agree with statements about their expectancies of barriers to treatment participation for their child, using a 5-point Likert scale (1=totally disagree, 5= totally agree).
Time frame: Once after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Measures of feasibility: Manual Rating Form (MRF)
The Manual Rating Form (MRF) is used to assess feasibility of the manual.
Time frame: Once after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Measures of feasibility: Summary Therapist Feedback Form (STFF)
The Summary Therapist Feedback Form (STFF) is used to assess the ease of manual implementation completed after each case.
Time frame: Once after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Implementation and satisfaction questionnaire for the children
We designed an implementation and satisfaction questionnaire for the children. It covers the subject's dosage, quality, adaption, responsiveness and program differentiation.
Time frame: Once after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Implementation and satisfaction questionnaire for the parents
We designed an implementation and satisfaction questionnaire for the parents. It covers the subject's dosage, quality, adaption, responsiveness and program differentiation.
Time frame: Once after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Implementation and satisfaction questionnaire for the therapist
We designed an implementation and satisfaction questionnaire for the therapist. Questions regarding whether the intervention was being delivered as written (adherence) and the representativeness of the participants (reach) were implemented in the therapist's questionnaire covering questions like "The psychoeducation/relapse prophylaxis/exposure sessions were carried out as planned." and a checklist regarding information e.g. about the socioeconomic status, age, gender or IQ.
Time frame: Once after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS)
The CY-BOCS is a clinician-administered instrument that evaluates obsessions and compulsions separately on time consumed, distress, interference, resistance, and control. A score higher than 16 describes clinical relevant obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The short form of the CY-BOCS is conducted daily on the app as part of the mobile assessment.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS)
The CGAS is a clinician's rating of the patient's overall level of functional strain.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I)
The CGI-I is used to assess overall clinical improvement based on symptoms observed and impairment reported. The clinical-rated scale has been used successfully in patients with OCD.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S)
Is a clinical rating of symptom severity. The CGI-S correlates strongly with the CY-BOCS total score in pediatric OCD patients, and is widely used and has been shown to be treatment sensitive.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Children's DIPS Open Access: Diagnostic Interview in Childhood and Adolescent Mental Disorders (Kinder-DIPS)
The Kinder-DIPS is a structured clinical interview for the diagnosis of mental disorders. There is a child version and a parent version. Both, the child version and the parent version, are performed.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Brief Self-Control Scale
Patients will be given questions concerning self-control (Brief Self-Control Scale, German Version (Sproesser et al., 2011))
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Time frame: After week 1, week 7 and week 14
Self-efficacy
Patients answer questions regarding self-efficacy according to the questionnaire of Schwarzer \& Jerusalem (1999).
Time frame: After week 1, week 7 and week 14
Coping strategies
Patients answer questions regarding coping strategies according to the questionnaire of Schwarzer \& Jerusalem (1999).
Time frame: After week 1, week 7 and week 14
Self-regulation
Patients answer questions regarding self-regulation according to the questionnaire of Schwarzer \& Jerusalem (1999).
Time frame: After week 1, week 7 and week 14
Procrastination
Patients answer questions regarding procrastination according to the questionnaire of Schwarzer \& Jerusalem (1999).
Time frame: After week 1, week 7 and week 14
Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL/6-18R) is used to record behavioural problems, emotional problems, somatic complaints as well as social competences of children and adolescents of school age from the parents' point of view.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Youth Self-Report (YSR)
The YSR/11-18R (youth version) was derived directly from the CBCL and allows an assessment of the largely identical characteristics from the perspective of adolescents.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Child Obsessive-Compulsive Impact Scale (COIS-RC)
The COIS-RC Culture includes a parent and a child report. It is a 33-item questionnaire designed to assess the impact of OCD symptoms on the psychosocial functioning of children and adolescent in home, social, and academic environments.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Fair Intelligence Test (CFT 20-R)
The CFT 20-R records the basic intelligence according to the general fluid ability.
Time frame: Baseline (t0) before treatment
Questionnaire for self-assessment of depressive disorders (DISYPS-III SBB- DES)
The SBB-DES (DYSIPS-III) is a self-report questionnaire for adolescents (11 to 18 years) and part of the Diagnostic System for Mental Disorders according to ICD-10 and DSM-5 for children and adolescents. It records the different symptoms of a depressive disorder, the extent of distress and the competencies of the adolescent.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED)
The SCARED is a psychometrically sound child- and parent-report questionnaire which assesses the presence of DSM-IV anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents (KIDSCREEN)
The questionnaires can be used to assess the subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years. A corresponding parent version is available for parents.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Ulm Quality of Life Inventory for Parents of Chronically Ill Children (ULQUIE)
The ULQUIE was used to record the quality of life of the parents.
Time frame: Baseline (before treatment (t0)) and after treatment (t1, after 14 weeks)
Affect questionnaire
The emotional state of the patients is recorded daily by the app (ambulatory assessment)
Time frame: Daily after each therapy session (approximately 5-10 minutes), for a time period of 14 weeks of therapy