Pilot Study of a Behavioral Program for Resident Depression in Skilled Nursing Facilities (BRISK-I)

June 15, 2026 updated by: Evan Plys, Massachusetts General Hospital

Building Resilience in Skilled Nursing Care: Open Pilot for a Behavioral Health Intervention

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a behavioral health program (Interventions for Stressful Transitions in Later Life, InSTILL, for Individuals) for skilled nursing facility residents. The main questions it aims to answer is whether the program is program is feasible, satisfactory, and helpful. Participants will join 6 bi-weekly sessions of the InSTILL program. Participants will complete assessments at three timepoints (all) and a brief-exit interview.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • 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

  • Name: BRISK Study Coordinator
  • Phone Number: 617-643-9406
  • Email: brisk@mgb.org

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Recruiting
        • Massachusetts General Hospital
        • Contact:
          • BRISK Study Coordinator
          • Phone Number: 617-643-9406
          • Email: brisk@mgb.org

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Psychological distress, as indicated by a score Patient Health Questionnaire- 2 ≥ 2 OR Patient Health Questionnaire-9 ≥ 5
  • 5+ chronic conditions based on Elixhauser Comorbidity Index
  • Aged ≥ 18 years
  • Able and willing to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Intended length of SNF stay < 7 days
  • More than mild cognitive impairment, as indicted by Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) <13
  • Participant's roommate is already enrolled in study/intervention
  • High risk of suicide/active documented SI per the PHQ-9, item 9 or otherwise
  • Participation in newly initiated psychotherapy

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: InSTILL for Individuals
Participants in this arm will participate in the Interventions for Stressful Transitions in Later Life (InSTILL), a behavioral health intervention tailored to the needs of short stay nursing facility residents. InSTILL for Individuals includes 6 sessions (2x per week for about 3 weeks) delivered in person or remotely.
Behavioral: Interventions for Stressful Transitions in Later Life (InSTILL) for Individuals
The Interventions for Stressful Transitions in Later Life (InSTILL) intervention is for skilled nursing facility residents experiencing elevated levels of psychological distress. The intervention is designed to improve life management skills and emotion regulation skill with the goal of reducing depression symptoms.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean Total Score Treatment Credibility
Time Frame: After session 1 of intervention, an average of 1 week after baseline
3-item self-report measure of participant's belief regarding how helpful the intervention will be for them. Higher scores (min = 0, max = 30) scores indicate greater credibility.
After session 1 of intervention, an average of 1 week after baseline
Mean Total Score Client Satisfaction Questionnaire
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
3-item self-report measure assessing patient satisfaction with the program. Higher total scores (min = 3, max = 12) indicate greater satisfaction.
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of Eligible Participants Enrolled
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of eligible approached individuals that are enrolled into the study.
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of Participants with Missing Data
Time Frame: 4 weeks after post-intervention
Percentage of all participants with no measure fully missing at 4-week follow-up.
4 weeks after post-intervention
Attendance Rate
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of participants completing 4/6 sessions of the intervention.
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Clinician Fidelity
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of InSTILL sessions delivered with 100% adherence on a study-specific Fidelity Checklist, based on those randomly sampled to be assessed.
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Number of Adverse Events
Time Frame: 4 weeks after post-intervention
Number of adverse events related to participation in the study.
4 weeks after post-intervention
Treatment Acceptability Survey
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of participants scoring above the scale midpoint on all Treatment Acceptability Survey items (developed for the current study).
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of Participants Meeting Participant Comprehension Criterion
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
Percentage of participants scoring 7+ on a single-item cognitive load question (min=0, max=10)
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
9-item self-report measure of depression symptoms. Higher scores (min=0, max=27) indicate greater depressive symptoms.
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) in Everyday Use
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
4-item self-report measure of the application of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies in daily life. Items are averaged for a composite score, with higher scores indicate greater SOC strategy use (Range = 1-6).
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Committed Action Questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
8-item self-report measure of pursuit of valued goals despite challenges and difficulties. Higher scores indicate greater use and effectiveness of emotional regulation skills (Range = 0-48).
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
General Anxiety Disorder-7
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
7-item self-report measure of anxiety symptoms. Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety symptoms (Range = 0-21).
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Euro QoL-5D 5L
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
6-item self-report measure of subjective health-related quality of life. Higher scores indicate worse health-related quality of life (Range = 5-25). The scale also includes a separately scored single-item global health indicator, asked on a 0-100 scale with higher scores indicate higher subjective health-related quality of life.
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
COREQ
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
4-item self-report of nursing facility satisfaction. Higher averaged scores indicate greater facility satisfaction (Range = 1-5).
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline
University of Washington Resilience Scale Short Form
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
4-item self-report of an individual's perceived resilience. Summed scores will be converted to T-scores using a conversion table.
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Psychotropic medication use
Time Frame: Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Chart or self reported psychotropic medication use. Patients will self-report changes to medication, including dosage, at post-intervention and follow-up
Baseline; Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Re-hospitalization
Time Frame: Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention
Resident re-hospitalization during the study period
Post intervention, an average of 4 weeks after baseline; 4 weeks after post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Evan Plys, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital

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)

November 17, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 15, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024P001945B

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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