Effectiveness of a Guided Mental Health Chatbot for Youth Living in Lithuania

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

• Registration Number: NCT07012876
• Lead Sponsor: Vilnius University

Brief Summary

The study aims to assess the effectiveness of a guided mental health chatbot called "Scalable Technology for Adolescents and youth to Reduce Stress (STARS)", adapted for youth living in Lithuania.

Detailed Description

The intervention is a guided mental health chatbot STARS developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). It consists of 10 sessions which include: Introduction (1), Psychoeducation (2), Emotion Regulation (3, 4), Behavior Activation (5, 6), Managing Problems (7), Supportive Self-talk (8, 9), and Relapse Prevention (10). Each session consists of psychoeducation and exercise parts. Trained and supervised non-specialists (called e-helpers) provide weekly calls (five calls lasting approximately 15 minutes) to support participants individually.

The effect of the intervention will be compared against a control group which receives enhanced usual care.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2025-05-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-06-04
• Study First Posted: 2025-06-10
• Status Verified: 2025-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-07-02
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-08
• Study Start: 2025-09-01
• Primary Completion: 2028-06-30
• Study Completion: 2028-06-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 262

Inclusion Criteria

• Age of 18-25 years
• Understanding the Lithuanian language
• Having access to a device for intervention delivery
• Experiencing moderate levels of psychological distress (a cut-off score of 8 as measured with Kessler-6)

Exclusion Criteria

• People at imminent risk of suicide
• People currently experiencing a psychotic episode
• People currently experiencing interpersonal violence
• Current dependency on alcohol/drugs

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in The Patient Health Questionnaire-9	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in symptoms of depression are measured. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9, Kroenke et al., 2001) is a self-report measure comprising 9 items about symptoms of depression. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. In the Lithuanian sample, the PHQ-9 had a good internal consistency with Cronbach's α of 0.85 (Nomeikaite et al., 2023).
Changes in The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in symptoms of anxiety are measured. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7, Spitzer et al., 2006) is a self-report measure comprising 7 items about symptoms of anxiety. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. In the Lithuanian sample, the GAD-7 had a good internal consistency with Cronbach's α of 0.91 (Nomeikaite et al., 2023).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in Kessler-6	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Kessler-6 is used as a screener with a cut-off score of 8, which is commonly used to indicate moderate levels of psychological distress. Also, changes in psychological distress are measured. Kessler-6 (K6, Kessler et al., 2002) is a self-report measure comprising 6 questions about psychological distress. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (none of the time) to 4 (all of the time). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. Previous studies have shown good psychometric properties of the Kessler-6 (Cronbach α = 0.86) (Ferro, 2019).
Changes in The Brief Adjustment Disorder Measure-8	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in symptoms of adjustment disorder are measured. The Brief Adjustment Disorder Measure-8 (ADNM-8, Kazlauskas et al., 2018) is a self-report measure comprising 8 items about symptoms of adjustment disorder. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 (never) to 4 (often). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. In the Lithuanian sample, the ADNM-8 had a good internal consistency with Cronbach's α of 0.93 (Kazlauskas et al., 2023).
Changes in The SIDAS	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in suicidal ideation are measured. The SIDAS (Van Spijker et al., 2014) is a self-report measure comprising 5 questions about suicidal ideation. All items are answered on a 10-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (never, no control, not close at all, not at all) to 10 (always, full control, made an attempt, extremely). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. In the Lithuanian sample, the SIDAS had a good internal consistency with Cronbach's α of 0.93 (Skruibis et al., 2022).
Changes in The WHODAS 2.0	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in functioning are measured. The WHODAS 2.0 (Ustun et al., 2010) is a self-report measure comprising 12 questions about functioning. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (none) to 4 (extreme or cannot do). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. Previous studies have shown good psychometric properties of the WHODAS 2.0 (Cronbach α = 0.96) (Saltychev et al., 2021).
Changes in The World Health Organization Well-being Index-5	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in psychological well-being are measured. The World Health Organization Well-being Index-5 (WHO-5, Bech, 2004) is a self-report measure comprising 5 items about psychological well-being. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale that ranges from 0 (at no time) to 4 (all of the time). A higher score indicates more pronounced psychological well-being. In the Lithuanian sample, the WHO-5 had a good internal consistency with Cronbach's α of 0.87 (Nomeikaite et al., 2023).
Changes in Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in internalized stigma of psychological difficulties (the term of psychological difficulties instead of mental illness is used in this study) are measured. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness-Brief Version (ISMI-10, Boyd et al., 2014) is a self-report measure comprising 10 items about internalized stigma of psychological difficulties. All items are answered on a 4-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). A higher score indicates more pronounced internalized stigma of psychological difficulties. Previous studies have shown good psychometric properties of the ISMI-10 (Cronbach's α = .75-.81) (Boyd et al., 2014).
Changes in Self-Stigma of Seeking Help	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in stigma of self-stigma of seeking help are measured. The Self-Stigma of Seeking Help-Ultra-Brief Version (SSOSH-3, Brenner et al., 2021) is a self-report measure comprising 3 items about self-stigma of seeking help. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A higher score indicates more pronounced self-stigma of seeking help. Previous studies have shown good psychometric properties of the SSOSH-3 (Cronbach's α = .82-.87) (Brenner et al., 2021).
Changes in The Client Services Receipt Inventory	Baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in client service are measured. The Client Services Receipt Inventory (CSRI, Beeacham and Knapp, 2001) is a self-report measure comprising questions about client service. The CSRI covers a broad range of services that may be utilized, including primary and secondary care services, other services, and informal care.
Changes in The EQ-5D-5L	Baseline, eight weeks after baseline, three months after baseline	Changes in health are measured. The EQ-5D-5L (EuroQol Research Foundation, 2019) is a self-report measure comprising 5 items about health. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 (I have no problems or similar) to 5 (I am unable or similar). A higher score indicates more pronounced symptoms. Convergent validity was demonstrated by a correlation between EQ-5D-5L and the WHO-5, (r = .43, P \< .001) (Janssen et al. 2013).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Vilnius University; 🇱🇹 Vilnius, Lithuania