Active Elements of Digital Single-session Interventions

Factorial Trial Designed to Identify Active Elements of a Self-administered Digital Single-session Intervention Targeting Depressive Symptoms.

Depression is a leading cause of disability in young adults. However, access to care is limited due to structural and psychological barriers. Single-session interventions (SSIs) are structured programs designed to maximize the therapeutic output in one interaction between the patient and the provider or a program. Project ABC, a single-session intervention (SSI), has been shown to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Project ABC is based on four components-psychoeducation, testimonials, saying is believing exercises, and action planning. However, it is unclear what are the effects of the individual components.

The primary aim of this study is to calculate the main effects of the candidate components-psychoeducation, testimonials + saying is believing exercises, and action planning-on Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) scores at 8-week follow-up.

The secondary aims of this study are to:

1. calculate the main effects of the candidate components-psychoeducation, testimonials + saying is believing exercises, and action planning-on PHQ-8 scores at immediate post-treatment and 2-week follow-up.
2. calculate the interaction effects, if any, among the candidate components on PHQ-8 scores at immediate post-treatment, 2-week, and 8-week follow-up.
3. calculate the main and interaction effects of the candidate components on measures of hopelessness, autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
4. determine if the effects of the candidate components on PHQ-8 are mediated by measures of autonomy, relatedness, and competence.

Additionally, the exploratory aim of this study is to determine if common factors, like credibility of the intervention and expectations to improve, can lead to symptom change.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Located in the United States
• Baseline Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) score >= 10
• Able to read and write English
• Able to access to the internet via a computer, tablet or smartphone for the next eight weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who have participated in another related study on depression from our laboratory via the same participant recruitment platform in the past two months
• Participants who have submitted gibberish in open response questions