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VIPeerAgent for Adolescent Mental Health

22 augustus 2026 bijgewerkt door: Wei XIA, PhD, Sun Yat-sen University

Efficacy of VIPeerAgent for Mental Health Intervention in Adolescents: A Three-Arm Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial With Non-Inferiority and Superiority Testing

This three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of VIPeerAgent, a virtual peer support agent, in improving mental health outcomes among adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years experiencing psychological distress without a diagnosed mental disorder. Participants will be randomized to receive support from VIPeerAgent, a human peer mentor, or usual care. The study will assess whether VIPeerAgent is non-inferior to human peer support and superior to usual care in promoting mental health. Outcomes include mental health status, psychological resilience, coping strategies, perceived social support, and emotional intelligence. The findings will provide evidence for the effectiveness and scalability of AI-assisted peer support as an early intervention approach for youth mental health.

Studie Overzicht

Toestand

Nog niet aan het werven

Conditie

Interventie / Behandeling

Gedetailleerde beschrijving

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of VIPeerAgent, an artificial intelligence-powered virtual peer support agent, in promoting mental health among adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years who experience psychological distress but do not meet diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder. The study is designed to support the early identification, early intervention, and prevention of mental health problems in youth populations.

The study adopts a three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial with a non-inferiority and superiority testing framework. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of three groups: (1) the VIPeerAgent intervention group, (2) the human peer mentor support group, or (3) the usual-care control group.

Participants in the VIPeerAgent group will engage in multi-turn conversations with the virtual peer agent. The intervention focuses on providing psychological support in three key areas: emotional awareness and regulation, social support enhancement, and coping strategy development. At the end of each interaction, VIPeerAgent will guide participants in developing an individualized and actionable to-do list based on their personal needs and goals. Additional support will be provided through proactive follow-up and personalized content recommendations tailored to participants' psychological needs.

Participants in the human peer mentor group will receive support from trained peer mentors. The intervention components are comparable to those delivered by VIPeerAgent and include peer support consultations, enhanced follow-up, individualized action planning through to-do lists, and personalized supportive messages. Participants in the usual-care control group will receive routine mental health education through weekly mental health promotion materials. The intervention period will last four weeks.

The primary outcome is improvement in mental health status during the follow-up period, assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory-53 (BSI-53). Secondary outcomes include psychological resilience, coping strategies, perceived social support, and emotional intelligence.

In addition to the randomized controlled trial, an explanatory qualitative study will be conducted following completion of the intervention. Using purposive sampling, participants with diverse experiences and intervention responses will be invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The qualitative interviews will explore participants' perceptions of the intervention, user experiences, acceptability, engagement, and perceived impact. Findings from the qualitative analysis will be used to complement and help explain the quantitative trial results, providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms, benefits, and implementation considerations of AI-assisted peer support for youth mental health.

This design will generate comprehensive evidence regarding both the effectiveness and user experience of VIPeerAgent and inform the future development, implementation, and scalability of AI-supported mental health interventions for adolescents and young adults.

Studietype

Ingrijpend

Inschrijving (Geschat)

234

Fase

  • Niet toepasbaar

Contacten en locaties

In dit gedeelte vindt u de contactgegevens van degenen die het onderzoek uitvoeren en informatie over waar dit onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd.

Studiecontact

Studie Locaties

  • China
    • Guangdong
      • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510080
        • School of Nursing, Sun Yat-Sen University
        • Contact:

Deelname Criteria

Onderzoekers zoeken naar mensen die aan een bepaalde beschrijving voldoen, de zogenaamde geschiktheidscriteria. Enkele voorbeelden van deze criteria zijn iemands algemene gezondheidstoestand of eerdere behandelingen.

Geschiktheidscriteria

Leeftijden die in aanmerking komen voor studie

  • Kind
  • Volwassen

Accepteert gezonde vrijwilligers

Nee

Beschrijving

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years.
  • Experienced at least one moderate or more severe stressful life event within the past 6 months.
  • Able to read and communicate in Chinese.
  • Willing to participate in the study and provide informed consent.
  • Have a BSI-53 score <63.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A history of clinically diagnosed severe mental or psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder or schizophrenia.
  • Current suicidal ideation or suicidal ideation within the past 6 months.
  • Receipt of professional psychological or psychiatric treatment within the past 12 months.

Studie plan

Dit gedeelte bevat details van het studieplan, inclusief hoe de studie is opgezet en wat de studie meet.

Hoe is de studie opgezet?

Ontwerpdetails

  • Primair doel: Preventie
  • Toewijzing: Gerandomiseerd
  • Interventioneel model: Parallelle opdracht
  • Masker: Enkel

Wapens en interventies

Deelnemersgroep / Arm
Interventie / Behandeling
Experimenteel: VIPeer Agent Intervention Group
Ander: Virtual Peer Agent Intervention
Participants in the VIPeerAgent group will engage in multi-turn conversations with the virtual peer agent. The intervention focuses on providing psychological support in three key areas: emotional awareness and regulation, social support enhancement, and coping strategy development. At the end of each interaction, VIPeerAgent will guide participants in developing an individualized and actionable to-do list based on their personal needs and goals.
Actieve vergelijker: Human peer mentor
Ander: Human peer mentor
Participants in the human peer mentor group will receive support from trained peer mentors. The intervention components are comparable to those delivered by VIPeerAgent and include peer support consultations, enhanced follow-up, individualized action planning through to-do lists, and personalized supportive messages.
Geen tussenkomst: Usual Care control

Wat meet het onderzoek?

Primaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
Level of Psychological Symptoms
Tijdsspanne: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Level of Psychological Symptoms: Assessed by change in scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory-53 (BSI-53). This 53-item instrument, which encompasses 9 dimensions, is rated on a 5-point Likert scale. A cut-off point of 63 or higher is used to define a positive case.
Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

Secundaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
Social Support
Tijdsspanne: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Social Support: Assessed by scores on the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). The Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) consists of 12 items, which are divided into three dimensions: family, friend, and other support. Using a 7-point Likert scale, the total score (range: 12-84) is calculated, with a higher score reflecting a higher level of perceived social support.
Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Stressful life events
Tijdsspanne: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
The Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC) assesses the frequency and impact of stressful life events in adolescents. It comprises 27 items covering five domains: punishment, loss, interpersonal stress, academic stress, and adaptation problems. Each item is rated on a 6-point scale from 0 (never occurred) to 5 (extremely severe). Scale range: 0 to 135 Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater negative impact of stressful life events).
Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Coping Strategies
Tijdsspanne: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Coping Strategies: Assessed by scores on the Coping Strategy Indicator - Short Form in Chinese (CSIS-SFC). The scale is composed of 21 items divided into four subscales: Task-Oriented Coping, Emotion-Oriented Coping, Distraction Coping, and Social Diversion Coping. It is a 5-point Likert scale.
Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Psychological Resilience
Tijdsspanne: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Psychological Resilience: Assessed by change in scores on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The instrument consists of 25 items distributed among three dimensions: hardiness (13 items), strength (8 items), and optimism (4 items). Responses are recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, yielding a total score between 0 and 100, where a higher score denotes a higher level of psychological resilience.
Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Emotional Intelligence
Tijdsspanne: Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.
Emotional Intelligence: Assessed by change in scores on the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The Emotional Intelligence Scale contains 16 items across four subscales: Self-Emotion Appraisal and Expression, Others' Emotion Appraisal, Regulation of Self-Emotion, and Use of Emotion. A 7-point scoring system is used, and the total score for each subscale is used to determine the competency level in that specific dimension.
Baseline, weekly during the intervention period (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4), and follow-up assessments at 1 month and 3 months post-intervention completion.

Medewerkers en onderzoekers

Hier vindt u mensen en organisaties die betrokken zijn bij dit onderzoek.

Sponsor

Sun Yat-sen University

Studie record data

Deze datums volgen de voortgang van het onderzoeksdossier en de samenvatting van de ingediende resultaten bij ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieverslagen en gerapporteerde resultaten worden beoordeeld door de National Library of Medicine (NLM) om er zeker van te zijn dat ze voldoen aan specifieke kwaliteitscontrolenormen voordat ze op de openbare website worden geplaatst.

Bestudeer belangrijke data

Studie start (Geschat)

20 augustus 2026

Primaire voltooiing (Geschat)

30 november 2026

Studie voltooiing (Geschat)

10 december 2026

Studieregistratiedata

Eerst ingediend

18 augustus 2026

Eerst ingediend dat voldeed aan de QC-criteria

18 augustus 2026

Eerst geplaatst (Werkelijk)

21 augustus 2026

Updates van studierecords

Laatste update geplaatst (Werkelijk)

26 augustus 2026

Laatste update ingediend die voldeed aan QC-criteria

22 augustus 2026

Laatst geverifieerd

1 augustus 2026

Meer informatie

Termen gerelateerd aan deze studie

Trefwoorden

Aanvullende relevante MeSH-voorwaarden

Andere studie-ID-nummers

  • VIPA-RCT-2026

Plan Individuele Deelnemersgegevens (IPD)

Bent u van plan om gegevens van individuele deelnemers (IPD) te delen?

JA

Beschrijving IPD-plan

Upon reasonable request and after approval of a research proposal, de-identified individual participant data that underlie the results of this study (specifically, the pre- and post-intervention scale scores) will be made available. This does not include any raw transcript data from conversations with the virtual agent, to protect participant privacy.

IPD-tijdsbestek voor delen

After the publication of the study

IPD-toegangscriteria voor delen

The researchers can access the data by contacting the PI at xiaw23@mail.sysu.edu.cn with the research purpose described.

IPD delen Ondersteunend informatietype

  • LEERPROTOCOOL
  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Informatie over medicijnen en apparaten, studiedocumenten

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd geneesmiddel

Nee

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd apparaatproduct

Nee

Deze informatie is zonder wijzigingen rechtstreeks van de website clinicaltrials.gov gehaald. Als u verzoeken heeft om uw onderzoeksgegevens te wijzigen, te verwijderen of bij te werken, neem dan contact op met register@clinicaltrials.gov. Zodra er een wijziging wordt doorgevoerd op clinicaltrials.gov, wordt deze ook automatisch bijgewerkt op onze website .

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