Impact of Device Free Summer Camp on Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing

August 19, 2026 updated by: Sapien Labs

IMPACT OF DEVICE FREE SUMMER CAMP ON ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand if attendance of a device-free summer camp, representing a shift from a digital environment to one that is device free and involves in person social interaction, can change mental health status and brain physiology in teens age 12-17. The main question it aims to answer is:

  • How much is aggregate mental health and its various dimensions and components changed at the end of the camp attendance relative to the start of camp.
  • How much is brain physiology, as measured by EEG change, changed at the end of camp relative to the start of camp.

Participants are recruited from among teens signed up to attend 2 or 3.5 week sessions a summer camp in Maine.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand if attendance of a device-free summer camp, representing a shift from a digital environment to one that is device free and involves in person social interaction, can change mental health status and brain physiology in teens age 12-17. The main question it aims to answer is:

  • How much is aggregate mental health and its various dimensions and components changed at the end of the camp attendance relative to the start of camp.
  • How much is brain physiology, as measured by EEG change, changed at the end of camp relative to the start of camp.

Participants are recruited from among teens signed up to attend 2 or 3.5 week sessions a summer camp in Maine. Participants were asked to complete the MHQ, a comprehensive mental health assessment spanning 47 emotional, social and cognitive aspects and on the first day of camp and then again on the day before departure. In addition participants were asked questions on their school and camp experiences at the start and end of camp respectively.

Participants were also invited to participate in a socio-emotional task and/or have EEG measurements read on the first day of camp and the day before departure form camp. The socio-emotional task involved speaking or performing in front of a group of 4 or 5 people and rating one's own feelings performing this task as well as rating the perceived feelings of other group members when they were performing the task.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

333

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 Locations

  • United States
    • Maine
      • Porter, Maine, United States, 04068
        • Maine Teen Camp

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Attendance of Maine Teen Camp sessions during summer months of 2024 and 2025.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Maine Teen Camp attendees
Attendance of a residential device-free summer camp for teens for 2 to 3.5 weeks characterized by in-person interaction and nature rich outdoor activities.
Other: Attendance of device-free summer camp
Attendance of a residential device-free summer camp in Maine for 2-3.5 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) at End of Camp
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) to end of camp attendance (up to 3.5 weeks).
The Mental Health Quotient or MHQ is an aggregate score of mental health computed from the 47 items of the MHQ assessment. The score ranges from -100 to +200, where higher scores indicate better mental health outcomes. Negative scores indicate significant symptoms that impact function (Distressed/Struggling range), while positive scores reflect the wide range of normal function (Enduring to Thriving). Change is calculated by subtracting the baseline score from the end of camp score.
Baseline (Day 1) to end of camp attendance (up to 3.5 weeks).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Ratings of 47 MHQ Items After Camp Attendance
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) to end of camp attendance (up to 3.5 weeks).
Difference in the ratings of each of the 47 items in the MHQ assessment spanning emotional, social, cognitive and physical capacities and problems. Participants rate each item on a 9-point life impact scale.
Baseline (Day 1) to end of camp attendance (up to 3.5 weeks).
Change from Baseline in Resting-State Electroencephalography (EEG) measures
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1 of camp) and Post-Intervention (Final day of camp - 2.5-3 weeks later)
The outcome measure evaluates changes in EEG spectral metrics such as spectral slope, spectral bands and time domain metrics such as complexity/entropy measures such as Detrending Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), Lempel-Ziv Complexity and Sample Entropy measured during 3 minutes of EEG with eyes closed at the start and end of the camp session.
Baseline (Day 1 of camp) and Post-Intervention (Final day of camp - 2.5-3 weeks later)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sapien Labs

Collaborators

University of California, San Diego
Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Tara Thiagarajan, PhD, Sapien Labs

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)

July 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 17, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

August 17, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 19, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MTC_24_25

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Anonymized assessment and questionnaire responses and raw EEG files

IPD Sharing Time Frame

August 2026 onwards (no end date)

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Any researcher with stated legitimate research intent will be able to access the anonymized date and supporting information upon submitting an email request to the PI.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF

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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