Best Possible Self-Tech for Middle Schoolers

Promoting Positive Affect and Prosocial Technology Use in Middle Schoolers: A Pilot of the Best Possible Self-Tech Exercise

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn if a single-session writing exercise (i.e., Best Possible Self-Tech) can improve positive affect and prosocial technology use in a community sample of eighth graders. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Can the the Best Possible Self-Tech (BPS-Tech) intervention be feasibly and acceptably delivered in classrooms?
2. What are the associations between textual features of BPS- Tech entries (e.g., length, vividness, positive tone) and post-intervention positive affect?
3. How do participants describe their future prosocial online behavior ("doing good"), engagement with prosocial content ("seeing good") and associated positive emotions ("feeling good") in the BPS-Tech writing exercise?

Participants will participate in the BPS-Tech exercise during class time and respond to surveys about their prosocial technology use and positive affect.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Positive Affect; Technology Use
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Best Possible Self-Tech

Detailed Description

Technology use is a central part of adolescent life. A 2024 Pew Research Center Survey showed that 95% of adolescents had access to a smartphone, 88% a desktop or laptop computer, and 83% a gaming console at home. Problematic use of these technology devices impact about 1 in 5 adolescents and can increases the odds of depression, anxiety and stress. However, most adolescents do not exhibit problematic use. To date, the research on technology and mental health has focused primarily on its adverse effects, despite initial evidence that technology can elicit positive affect, learning and social connection.

Adolescents most often use technology to socialize and extend their in-person relationships and are more likely to engage in online pro-social behaviors (e.g., complimenting), than antisocial behavior (e.g., criticism). Moreover, moderate use of technology that is active and social is linked to positive emotions like pleasure or satisfaction. Despite these data, few evidence-based approaches help adolescents mindfully engage with technology in ways that promote well-being and social connection.

The Best Possible Self (BPS) intervention, in which participants envision and write about their best future selves, has been shown to increase positive affect in adults and adolescents. This pilot study will adapt the BPS intervention to focus on positive future technology use (BPS-Tech) and test whether it can be feasibly and acceptably delivered in a middle school classroom. The pilot will also examine the textual features of BPS-Tech written entries (e.g., length, vividness, positive tone) and examine associations with post-intervention positive affect. Finally, the written entries will be analyzed with qualitative methods to describe how adolescents envision prosocial technology use. This study will generate feasibility data for a brief, scalable positive affect intervention and provide new insights into how youth envision using technology for good. Findings will inform refinement of the intervention and lay the groundwork for larger trials designed to prevent problematic technology use and strengthen positive affect during developmentally sensitive periods like adolescence.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Oregon
    • Eugene, Oregon, United States, 97403-5237
      • University of Oregon

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. eighth grade student enrolled in a participating middle school
2. speaks and writes in English
3. regular access to a web-enabled computer, tablet, or smartphone

Exclusion Criteria:

1. current participation in psychotherapy for anxiety or depression
2. a diagnosed cognitive or developmental impairment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: BPS-Tech

Behavioral: Best Possible Self-Tech; The BPS is a structured writing exercise (i.e., 10 minutes) designed to help individuals imagine the details about their future selves assuming things have gone as well as they possibly could. In the technology-related adaptation, participants are directed to imagine how their best possible self would utilize technology. The goal of the intervention is to increase positive thinking and mindful engagement with technology by helping adolescents envision and articulate optimistic future possibilities for their digital lives.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Program Feedback Scale	The Program Feedback Scale is a 7-item scale that measures the acceptability of an intervention. The scale was developed specifically for youth participating in single-session interventions. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (range 0-4). Total scores range from 0-28, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.	Immediately post-intervention
The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Child Short Form	The PANAS-C-SF is a 10-item scale that measures expressed levels of positive and negative affect. Positive affect and negative affect subscale scores range from 5-25, where higher scores indicate higher levels of positive/negative affect.	Baseline, immediately post-intervention, 1-week follow up, 1 month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prosocial Technology Use	The Tech With Care Index is a 17-item scale that measures the quality of use of digital devices including phones, tablets, laptops, and game consoles among youth. Two subscale scores are calculated by calculating the average (range 1-5) for self-defeating technology use items (i.e., unhealthy or mindless use) and other-benefitting use items (i.e., empathic or civic use). Higher mean scores indicate technology use that is more intentional, mindful and caring.	Baseline, 1-week follow up, 1-month follow up
Digital Flourishing	The Digital Flourishing Scale is a 25-item scale that measures the strength-based domains of digital technology use including the use of technology for connection, positive social comparison, and meaning making. Total scores range from 25-125, with higher scores indicating more digital flourishing.	Baseline, 1-month follow up

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Teacher-rated Intervention Feasibility	The Feasibility of Intervention Measure is a 4-item scale that measures the feasibility of implementing an intervention in a particular setting. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (range 1-5). Total scores range from 4-20, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived feasibility.	Immediately post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Oregon
• Collaborators: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 27, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 18, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Best Possible Self; Positive Affect; Middle School; Prosocial Technology Use
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00002054; 1P50MH139449-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: All survey and interview data will be de-identified and will be archived in a sharable data repository. Data will uploaded quarterly into the NIMH Data Archive using the NDA Electronic Data Submission Agreement (eDSA) Tool.

Drug and device information, study documents

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