Digital Mental Health Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults

Overview

This is a feasibility trial of a digital mental health intervention aimed at young adults (ages 18-25) with nonsuicidal self-injury and who are not currently engaged in mental health treatment. We will pilot three arms: a self-guided DMHI, the DMHI with low-intensity coaching, or an active control which will involve the delivery of non-interactive psychoeducational content via the same app interface. The primary goals of this project are to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention and trial procedures in preparation for a fully-powered randomized-controlled trial.

The primary purpose of this trial is to test the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an 8-week digital mental health intervention (DMHI) for non-treatment engaged young adults with repeated nonsuicidal self-injury. The DMHI will be a highly interactive conversational agent that conveys psychoeducational content and guides participants through skill-based activities. We will conduct a 3-arm feasibility trial, randomizing participants to receive the self-guided DMHI, the DMHI with low-intensity coaching, or an active control which will involve the delivery of non-interactive psychoeducational content via the same app interface. Initial randomization will be generated in permuted blocks of 6 using a computer program, with participants assigned on a 1:1:1 ratio. To prevent allocation bias, randomization will be conducted by the biostatistician, who will not inform the study team of the treatment arms until the baseline assessment has been completed and the patient has been enrolled. The control group will serve as the reference group to verify the effectiveness of the DMHI while the comparison of self-guided to coached deployments will evaluate the added benefit of coaching. The primary clinical outcome measures will be frequency of NSSI behavior (ABASI) and frequency of NSSI urges (ABUSI). Secondary outcomes will include suicidal ideation (DSI-SS), depressive symptom severity (PHQ-9), and anxiety symptom severity (GAD-7). This study will enroll individuals who have meet the following eligibility criteria: 1) current NSSI, defined as 2+ self-injury episodes (e.g., cutting, burning) in the past month; 2) Age 18 to 24; 3) English language skills sufficient to engage in the consent and intervention procedures. Participants will be excluded if they 1) Have a severe mental illness diagnosis (e.g., psychotic disorder); 2) Are imminently suicidal, with a plan and intent; or 3) Are currently receiving psychotherapy. Coaching will consist of providing users with support and accountability via positive reinforcement, goal and expectation setting, and monitoring. Coaching outreach will focus on adherence to the treatment but will not provide treatment advice. Coaches will provide a brief (20-30 minute phone call or equivalent depending on the medium) engagement phone call. Thereafter, coaches will check in with participants via messaging, phone call, or email, twice per week and respond to patient messages.