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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Chatbot for Non-suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents

23 de setembro de 2026 atualizado por: Zhihong Ren, Central China Normal University

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Chatbot for Non-suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a self-guided digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for adolescents who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The intervention is delivered through a mobile-based program and consists of seven modules focusing on acceptance, cognitive defusion, present-moment awareness, self-as-context, values, and committed action. Adolescents will complete the intervention over a 3-week period and will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. The study will examine whether the digital ACT intervention can reduce NSSI and improve psychological flexibility and other indicators of mental health, including depression, anxiety, hope, and emotion regulation.

Visão geral do estudo

Status

Ainda não está recrutando

Condições

Intervenção / Tratamento

Descrição detalhada

Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is highly prevalent among adolescents. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has shown promise, but access to traditional therapy is limited. Chatbot-based interventions offer a scalable alternative.

Objective: This randomized controlled trial aims to examine the efficacy of an ACT-based chatbot in reducing NSSI among adolescents.

Methods: Participants will be randomized 1:1 to the intervention group (ACT-based chatbot) or a waitlist control group. The intervention lasts three weeks, with modules covering acceptance, cognitive defusion, values, and committed action. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-intervention, 1-month and 3-months follow-up. Primary outcome is the frequency of NSSI episodes. Secondary outcomes include NSSI severity,anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms.

Analysis: Intention-to-treat analysis will be used. Mixed-effects models will assess changes over time between groups.

Tipo de estudo

Intervencional

Inscrição (Estimado)

100

Estágio

  • Não aplicável

Contactos e Locais

Esta seção fornece os detalhes de contato para aqueles que conduzem o estudo e informações sobre onde este estudo está sendo realizado.

Contato de estudo

Critérios de participação

Os pesquisadores procuram pessoas que se encaixem em uma determinada descrição, chamada de critérios de elegibilidade. Alguns exemplos desses critérios são a condição geral de saúde de uma pessoa ou tratamentos anteriores.

Critérios de elegibilidade

Idades elegíveis para estudo

10 anos a 19 anos (Filho, Adulto)

Aceita Voluntários Saudáveis

Não

Gêneros Elegíveis para o Estudo

Tudo

Descrição

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be adolescents aged 10-19 years (Sawyer et al., 2018).
  • Have engaged in five or more self-injurious behaviors within the past year and meet the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
  • Provide assent to participate, with written informed consent obtained from both the adolescent and their legal guardian.
  • Have access to a smartphone capable of completing the study procedures, including logging into the study mini-program to complete the self-guided intervention and sending and receiving text messages.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have an intellectual disability or other significant cognitive, neurodevelopmental, or visual impairment that may interfere with their ability to complete the study procedures.
  • Have a severe physical illness.
  • Be experiencing an acute episode of a severe mental disorder, such as a manic episode of bipolar disorder.
  • Have experienced suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt within the past month.
  • Do not have access to a smartphone or are unable to use one to complete the study procedures.

Plano de estudo

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Como o estudo é projetado?

Detalhes do projeto

  • Finalidade Principal: Tratamento
  • Alocação: Randomizado
  • Modelo Intervencional: Atribuição Paralela
  • Mascaramento: Solteiro

Armas e Intervenções

Grupo de Participantes / Braço
Intervenção / Tratamento
Sem intervenção: Grupo de controle
Experimental: "ACT-Based Chatbot" Group

The intervention is a fully automated, text-based chatbot delivered via a mobile application or web platform. It is based on the core processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Over three weeks, participants will engage with the chatbot for approximately 10 minutes per day, 3 days per week.

The chatbot delivers structured modules covering: (1) acceptance and willingness to experience difficult emotions; (2) cognitive defusion techniques; (3) present-moment awareness; (4) self-as-context; (5) values clarification; and (6) committed action. The chatbot includes safety protocols that provide crisis resources and emergency contact information if participants report severe self-harm urges or suicidal ideation.

The intervention is designed to be self-guided, with no human therapist involvement, to ensure scalability and accessibility.

O que o estudo está medindo?

Medidas de resultados primários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Severity of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The Behavior subscale of the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire (ANSAQ) will be used to assess adolescents' non-suicidal self-injury behaviors and functions. The Behavior subscale consists of 12 items, rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always).

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

Medidas de resultados secundários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Depression
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) will be used to assess depressive symptoms. The questionnaire consists of nine items, each rated from 0 to 3. Total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.
Anxiety
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) will be used to assess anxiety symptoms. The scale consists of seven items rated on a 4-point scale: 0 (not at all), 1 (several days), 2 (more than half the days), and 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater severity of anxiety symptoms.

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

Outras medidas de resultado

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Psychological flexibility
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The 24-item Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI-24) will be used to measure psychological flexibility. The MPFI-24 assesses two broad domains: psychological flexibility (PF) and psychological inflexibility (PI), comprising 24 items in total. Items are rated on a 6-point scale.

PF includes six processes: contact with the present moment, acceptance, cognitive defusion, self-as-context, committed action, and values. PI includes six processes: lack of contact with the present moment, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, self-as-content, inaction, and lack of contact with values.

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.
Hope
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The Children's Hope Scale (CHS) will be used to assess adolescents' goal-related cognitive tendencies, including agency thinking and pathways thinking. The scale consists of six items across two dimensions. Items are rated on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 6 (always), with higher scores indicating higher levels of hope.

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.
Emotion Regulation Strategies
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (RES) will be used to assess adolescents' perceived self-efficacy in regulating their emotions. The scale consists of 12 items across three dimensions. Items are rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly inconsistent with me) to 5 (strongly consistent with me).

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.
Functions of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Prazo: The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.

The Function subscale of the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire (ANSAQ) will be used to assess the functions underlying adolescents' NSSI. The Function subscale consists of 19 items, rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always).

The assessment time points will be: baseline, immediately after the third intervention module, immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention), 1-month follow-up after intervention completion, and 3-month follow-up after intervention.
Client Satisfaction
Prazo: This measure will be administered immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention).

The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) will be used to measure clients' satisfaction with psychological interventions. It consists of 8 items rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.

This measure will be administered immediately after the sixth intervention module (post-intervention).

Colaboradores e Investigadores

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Patrocinador

Colaboradores

Investigadores

  • Investigador principal: Zhihong Ren, PhD, Central China Normal University

Publicações e links úteis

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Datas de registro do estudo

Essas datas acompanham o progresso do registro do estudo e os envios de resumo dos resultados para ClinicalTrials.gov. Os registros do estudo e os resultados relatados são revisados ​​pela National Library of Medicine (NLM) para garantir que atendam aos padrões específicos de controle de qualidade antes de serem publicados no site público.

Datas Principais do Estudo

Início do estudo (Estimado)

8 de outubro de 2026

Conclusão Primária (Estimado)

1 de janeiro de 2027

Conclusão do estudo (Estimado)

1 de março de 2027

Datas de inscrição no estudo

Enviado pela primeira vez

18 de setembro de 2026

Enviado pela primeira vez que atendeu aos critérios de CQ

23 de setembro de 2026

Primeira postagem (Real)

30 de setembro de 2026

Atualizações de registro de estudo

Última Atualização Postada (Real)

30 de setembro de 2026

Última atualização enviada que atendeu aos critérios de controle de qualidade

23 de setembro de 2026

Última verificação

1 de setembro de 2026

Mais Informações

Termos relacionados a este estudo

Outros números de identificação do estudo

  • CCNU-IRB-202603054A
  • 2024YFC3308400 (Número de outro subsídio/financiamento: National Key R&D Program of China)

Plano para dados de participantes individuais (IPD)

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SIM

Tipo de informação de suporte de compartilhamento de IPD

  • PROTOCOLO DE ESTUDO
  • SEIVA
  • CIF

Informações sobre medicamentos e dispositivos, documentos de estudo

Estuda um medicamento regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

Estuda um produto de dispositivo regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

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