Study of Student Flourishing

A Multi-Institutional Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial of Student Well-Being Using the Flourish App

The goal of this study is to learn how a science-based mobile app, called Flourish, affects student well-being.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does receiving access to the Flourish app increase well-being (e.g., positive affect, loneliness, belonging) among students?
2. Does using the Flourish app in combination with a human buddy/friend lead to better outcomes than using the app alone?

Researchers will compare three different groups to see if and how the Flourish app works to improve student well-being:

1. Waitlist Control Group: Students continue with existing school resources.
2. Flourish App Group: Students use the Flourish app (a digital toolkit and AI chatbot) twice per week.
3. Flourish App + Buddy Group: Students use the Flourish app twice per week with someone else as a "Flourish Buddy".

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to one of the three groups listed above. Use the app or continue with regular resources for 6 weeks. Complete four short online surveys about their well-being (at the beginning, during the 6 weeks, and at the end).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Digital toolkit; Behavioral: Mental Health America Resources

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 2500
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Julie YA Cachia, PhD; Phone Number: 650-898-6664; Email: julie@flouriship.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Xuan Zhao, PhD; Phone Number: 408-412-1555‬; Email: xuan@flouriship.com

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8P 5C2
      • Recruiting
      • University of Victoria
      • Contact: Nigel Lou, PhD; Phone Number: +1 250-721-7553; Email: nigellou@uvic.ca
• New Zealand
  • Canterbury
    • Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, 8140
      • Not yet recruiting
      • University of Canterbury
      • Contact: Kong Meng Liew, PhD; Phone Number: +64 3 369 3208; Email: kongmeng.liew@canterbury.ac.nz
• United States
  • California
    • Berkeley, California, United States, 94720
      • Recruiting
      • University of California, Berkeley
      • Contact: Juliana Schroeder, PhD; Phone Number: 510-664-9692; Email: jschroeder@haas.berkeley.edu
    • Los Altos Hills, California, United States, 94022
      • Recruiting
      • Foothill College
      • Contact: Eta Lin, PhD; Phone Number: 650-949-7669; Email: lineta@fhda.edu
    • Orange, California, United States, 92866
      • Recruiting
      • Chapman University
      • Contact: John Hunter, PhD; Phone Number: 714-516-6148; Email: johnhunter@chapman.edu
  • Colorado
    • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80204
      • Not yet recruiting
      • University of Colorado Denver
      • Contact: Annika Mosier, PhD; Phone Number: 650-898-6664; Email: ANNIKA.MOSIER@ucdenver.edu
  • Hawaii
    • Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 96822
      • Recruiting
      • University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
      • Contact: Elizabeth Weitz, MA; Phone Number: 650-898-6664; Email: eaweitz@hawaii.edu
  • Kansas
    • Manhattan, Kansas, United States, 66506
      • Recruiting
      • Kansas State University
      • Contact: Natalie Solomon, PhD; Phone Number: 785-532-6850; Email: ndb@ksu.edu
  • Rhode Island
    • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02912
      • Not yet recruiting
      • Brown University
      • Contact: Jamie Trost, PhD; Phone Number: 401-863-2195; Email: jamie_trost@brown.edu
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195
      • Not yet recruiting
      • University of Washington
      • Contact: Delancey Wu, PhD; Phone Number: 650-898-6664; Email: dcwu@uw.edu
  • Wisconsin
    • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53706
      • Recruiting
      • University of Wisconsin-Madison
      • Contact: Stav Atir, PhD; Phone Number: 608-263-3648; Email: stav.atir@wisc.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Currently a student at one of the participating institutions
• Age 18 or older
• Able to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Flourish app condition; Participants in this condition will gain access to the Flourish app and be instructed to use it at least twice a week for 6 weeks.	Behavioral: Digital toolkit; A mobile application providing a science-based digital toolkit and AI chatbot.; Other Names: Flourish app
Experimental: Flourish app with buddies condition; Participants in this condition will gain access to the Flourish app and be instructed to use it at least twice a week for 6 weeks. In addition, they will be instructed to invite a buddy (e.g., friend, family member) to join them on the app.	Behavioral: Digital toolkit; A mobile application providing a science-based digital toolkit and AI chatbot.; Other Names: Flourish app
Active Comparator: MHA Resources; Participants in this condition will continue to use existing school resources and will be provided with information directing them to external Mental Health America (MHA) resources. Participants in this arm do not receive access to the Flourish app.	Behavioral: Mental Health America Resources; Access to national mental health resources from Mental Health America, which can be found here: https://mhanational.org/resources/.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Subcomponents of Affect Scale	The Subcomponents of Affect Scale (SAS) is an 18-item measure of affect, divided into nine positive and nine negative adjectives. Positive subscales include calm, well-being, and vigor, while negative subscales include depression, anxiety, and anger. Participants rate each adjective from 0 (not at all accurate) to 4 (extremely accurate) based on their feelings over the past two weeks. Total scores for positive and negative affect are summed from their subscales.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
Loneliness	The UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale is a brief measure assessing subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Participants rate each item on a 3-point scale, from 1 (hardly ever) to 3 (often), with higher scores indicating greater loneliness.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
Retention / Enrollment Intention	Retention intention was assessed using 2 items evaluating students' likelihood of continuing their enrollment. Participants respond to "How likely are you to stay enrolled next quarter/semester?" on a 5-point scale from 1 ("Very unlikely") to 5 ("Very likely"). A second item asks, "How often have you considered leaving your college/university in the past semester?" rated from 1 ("Never") to 5 ("Very often"). Higher scores on the first item indicate greater intention to persist, while higher scores on the second item indicate greater consideration of leaving.	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline
Implicit Theories of Emotion	Implicit theories of emotion were assessed using the Implicit Theories of Emotion Scale, adapted from Dweck's Implicit Theories of Intelligence framework. The scale includes four items assessing beliefs about whether emotions are malleable (incremental) or fixed (entity). Participants rate each item on a 6-point scale from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 6 ("Strongly agree"). The two entity items are reverse-scored, and all items are averaged to create a single score ranging from 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating stronger endorsement of an incremental (malleable) theory of emotion.	Baseline and 6 weeks post-baseline
Perceived Cohesion	The Perceived Cohesion Scale measures a sense of belonging and morale within a community using a Likert scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree). For our purposes, we use a single-item version: "I see myself as part of the campus community."	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline
Closeness to University	Closeness to one's university was assessed using a modified single-item Inclusion of Other in the Self measure. Participants were shown seven pairs of increasingly overlapping circles and asked, "Which picture best describes your relationship with your university?" Responses range from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater perceived closeness to the university.	Baseline and 6 weeks post-baseline
Perceived Social Support (PSSS-3)	Perceived social support was assessed using a 3-item short form based on the ACO (PSSS-A6) and adapted from the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Participants rate each item on a 7-point scale from 1 ("Very Strongly Disagree") to 7 ("Very Strongly Agree"). Total scores are summed, yielding a range from 3 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater perceived social support.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
Mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale)	Mindfulness was assessed using a 5-item short form of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), modified to assess experiences over the past two weeks. Participants rate each item on a 7-point scale from 0 ("Not at all") to 6 ("Very much"). Items are averaged to create a total score ranging from 0 to 6, with higher scores reflecting lower mindfulness. For interpretability in analyses, this score is reverse-scored so that higher values indicate greater mindfulness.	Baseline and 6 weeks post-baseline
Resilience	The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is a 6-item measure of stress recovery, rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicate a stronger ability to "bounce back" after setbacks.	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline
Flourishing Scale	The Flourishing Scale is an 8-item measure of psychological well-being. Respondents rate items from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 7 ("Strongly agree"), yielding a total score range from 8 to 56. Higher scores indicate greater well-being and flourishing.	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Depression (PHQ-2)	The PHQ-2 is an 2-item measure assessing depression severity over the past two weeks. Each item scores from 0 ("not at all") to 3 ("nearly every day"), with total scores from 0 to 6. Higher scores indicate greater depression severity.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
Anxiety (GAD-2)	The GAD-2 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2) is a 2-item measure assessing anxiety severity. Each item is rated from 0 ("not at all") to 3 ("nearly every day"), with total scores ranging from 0 to 6. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety severity.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
Perceived Stress (PSS-4)	The PSS-4 (Perceived Stress Scale-4) is a 4-item measure of perceived stress, rated from 0 ("never") to 4 ("very often"). Scores range from 0 to 16, with higher scores indicating greater stress.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
School Perceptions	School perceptions are measured using two single-item measures from the Healthy Minds Survey. The first item rates satisfaction with the overall school experience from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 6 (very satisfied). The second item rates agreement with the statement, "At my school, students' mental and emotional well-being is a priority," on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 6 (strongly disagree).	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline
Expectations and Experiences of Chatbots	This measure, adapted from the Working Alliance Inventory - Short Revised (WAI-SR), assesses participants' expectations and experiences with chatbots. Participants rate anticipated and actual interactions across three areas-Goal, Task, and Bond-on a 5-point scale from 1 (seldom) to 5 (always), with higher scores indicating stronger alignment.	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline
Academic Self Efficacy	The 5-item Academic Self-Efficacy scale measures students' confidence in their ability to succeed academically. Participants rate their agreement with statements such as "I generally manage to solve difficult academic problems if I try hard enough" on a 5-point scale, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicate greater self-belief in tackling academic challenges and achieving study-related goals.	Baseline, 6 weeks post-baseline
Satisfaction With Life	Life satisfaction was assessed using a single-item measure asking, "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole?" Participants respond on an 11-point scale from 0 ("Completely dissatisfied") to 10 ("Completely satisfied"). Higher scores indicate greater overall life satisfaction.	Baseline, bi-weekly for 6 weeks (3 time points)
Multi-Dimensional Measure of Trust	The Multi-Dimensional Measure of Trust (MDMT) assesses perceived trustworthiness of the Flourish chatbot, Sunnie, through a set of 10 attributes (Form A), rated from 0 (Not at all) to 5 (Very), with a 'Does Not Fit' option. Only participants in the intervention conditions (Flourish app; Flourish app + buddies conditions) complete this measure.	6 weeks post-baseline
Perceived Empathy of Sunnie	Perceived empathy toward the Flourish chatbot, Sunnie, will be assessed using a 7-item measure. Participants rate each item from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 6 ("Strongly agree"). Items are averaged to create a composite score, with higher scores indicating greater perceived empathy. This was only presented to those in the intervention conditions.	6 weeks post-baseline
Flourish Buddy Responsiveness	For participants with at least one Flourish Buddy, responsiveness of the selected buddy will be assessed using a 3-item measure assessing how accepted, understood, and cared for participants feel by their buddy. Items are rated from 1 ("Not at all") to 7 ("Very much") and averaged; higher scores indicate greater perceived responsiveness.	Weeks 4 and 6 post-baseline
Relationship Satisfaction with Flourish Buddy	For participants with at least one Flourish Buddy, relationship satisfaction with the selected buddy will be assessed using RAS-1, a single item rating overall satisfaction with the relationship from 1 ("Not satisfied") to 5 ("Very satisfied"). Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.	Weeks 4 and 6 post-baseline
Perceived Relationship Improvement	Perceived improvement in the relationship with an existing Flourish Buddy will be assessed using a single item ("To what extent did being Flourish Buddies with this person improve your relationship?"). This item is shown to participants in either Flourish condition who reported having a Flourish Buddy. Participants rate the item from 1 ("Not at all") to 7 ("Very much"). Higher scores indicate greater perceived improvement.	6 weeks post-baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Net Promoter Score (NPS)	Intervention satisfaction will be assessed using the Net Promoter Score (NPS). Participants in the intervention and control conditions will respond to the item: "How likely are you to recommend the Flourish app / MHA resources to a friend or colleague?" on an 11-point scale from 0 ("Not at all likely") to 10 ("Extremely likely"). Higher scores indicate greater likelihood of recommending the intervention.	6 weeks post-baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Flourish Science, Inc.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 22, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 21, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 21, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): December 2, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 18, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 10, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: well-being; students; positive psychology; digital
• Other Study ID Numbers: Flourish2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: We will share de-identified participant data on OSF from each study timepoint across both conditions, including all data used in our analyses.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Beginning upon submission for publication with no end date.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No