Digital Therapeutics for Behavior Problems

July 8, 2026 updated by: Oliver Lindhiem, University of Pittsburgh

Reach and Scalability of Digital Therapeutics for Childhood Behavior Problems

In this project, the investigators aim to test the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) system as a standalone versus coach-assisted intervention with the goal of achieving reach and scalability. Parents of children (ages 5-8) with disruptive behaviors (N = 324 subjects) will be randomly assigned to Group 1 (standalone app), Group 2 (coach-assisted app), or Group 3 (control app).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

In this project, the investigators aim to test the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) system as a standalone versus coach-assisted intervention with the goal of achieving reach and scalability. Aim 1 is to evaluate the effectiveness of the UseIt! mHealth system as both a standalone and coach-assisted intervention compared to a control app condition. Aim 2 is to assess target (parent management training/cognitive behavioral therapy skill acquisition and use) engagement and validation. Aim 3 is to evaluate the effectiveness of the components of the UseIt! mHealth system. The investigators plan to recruit an anticipated total of 324 families for the study. Families will be randomly assigned to Group 1 (standalone app), Group 2 (coach-assisted), or Group 3 (control app condition). Parents will use the app for four months before the administration of the post-treatment assessment. Parents will be trained to use the UseIt! mHealth system over the phone. The coach for the Group 2 condition will be a bachelor's level paraprofessional with a degree in psychology or an allied discipline (e.g., social work) who will provide support to parents. The system is very user friendly and families can be trained in approximately 30 minutes. Assessments will take place at Baseline, Post (4 months from baseline), and 6-month follow-up. All assessments will be conducted online (Qualtrics survey links sent via email by research staff) and take approximately 1 hour to complete.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
324

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Bellefield Towers

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

5 years to 8 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males or females between the ages of 5-8 years
  • Above the 90th percentile for Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and/or conduct disorders (CD) on the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale
  • Residence with at least one parent/guardian at least 80% of the time
  • Parent/legal guardian consent for participation
  • Parent/guardian must have a smartphone device with daily internet access

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A known preexisting behavioral or mental health diagnosis requiring alternative treatment (bipolar disorder, major depression, pervasive developmental disorder)
  • Currently in treatment for childhood disruptive behavior

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group 1: Standalone App
Standalone parenting app called UseIt!
Behavioral: UseIt! App
The UseIt! app is a parenting app with evidence-based parent management content. The app runs on both Android and iOS devices. It includes a digital library of parent management skills, a trouble-shooting guide, a behavior diary, a point counter, and a skills-alarm.
Experimental: Group 2: App plus Coach
Standalone parenting app called UseIt! plus a coach.
Behavioral: UseIt! App
The UseIt! app is a parenting app with evidence-based parent management content. The app runs on both Android and iOS devices. It includes a digital library of parent management skills, a trouble-shooting guide, a behavior diary, a point counter, and a skills-alarm.
Behavioral: Coach
The coach is be a bachelor's level paraprofessional with a degree in psychology or an allied discipline (e.g., social work) who provides support to parents. The coach will provide motivation and accountability but will not provide therapeutic/clinical support. The primary goal of the coach is to increase participant engagement with the UseIt! mHealth system.
Active Comparator: Group 3: Control App
Control condition: mindfulness app called SmilingMind.
Behavioral: SmilingMind App
The control app is a mindfulness app called SmilingMind. It is available for both Android and iOS devices.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Knowledge of Effective Parenting Test (KEPT)
Time Frame: Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Knowledge of Effective Parenting Test (KEPT). This is a 21-item scale, with higher scores indicating better outcomes.
Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Knowledge of Effective Parenting Test (KEPT)
Time Frame: 6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Knowledge of Effective Parenting Test (KEPT). This is a 21-item scale, with higher scores indicating better outcomes.
6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Parenting Skill Use Diary (PSUD)
Time Frame: Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Parenting Skill Use Diary (PSUD). This is a proportion score (range 0 to 1), with higher scores indicating better outcomes.
Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Parenting Skill Use Diary (PSUD)
Time Frame: 6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Parenting Skill Use Diary (PSUD). This is a proportion score (range 0 to 1), with higher scores indicating better outcomes.
6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment
Time Frame: Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Oppositional Defiant Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment. Scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.
Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment
Time Frame: 6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Oppositional Defiant Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment. Scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.
6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).
Conduct Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment
Time Frame: Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Conduct Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment. Scores range from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.
Post assessment (4 months after baseline).
Conduct Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment
Time Frame: 6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).
Average scores from the Conduct Disorder Subscale of the Vanderbilt Assessment. Scores range from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.
6-month follow-up (10 months after baseline).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Pittsburgh

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Oliver Lindhiem, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 3, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 30, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 8, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 12, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY22030138
  • R01HD106930 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

All data collected for this project will be made available to other researchers for future data mining, following publication of primary findings at the conclusion of the study. The investigators will share data with other investigators within and outside the University of Pittsburgh upon submission of a standardized written request. All data sharing will follow the guidelines and rules of the NIH and our IRB. Data (both raw data and summary scores) will be shared electronically (secure digital file) as de-identified data.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Following publication of primary findings at the conclusion of the study.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

To gain access, anyone not part of the original research protocol will submit a Data Analysis Request Form which requires elucidation of hypotheses to be tested and specific data requested. This form requires information about the investigator, including institutional affiliation, resume, proposed research, and conflict of interest statement. The investigator must document completion of the University of Pittsburgh Certification Program in Research Practice Fundamentals or a comparable training program at their own institution. Investigators outside the University of Pittsburgh must also complete a Data Use and Confidentiality Agreement before release of data to them.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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