TOUCHminds: Help-seeking in Adolescents With Anxiety

Sponsor
Aveiro University
Study ID
NCT07366580
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Anxiety Symptoms

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
15 Years - 17 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • TOUCHminds - Web-Based Intervention — BEHAVIORAL
    A web-based intervention designed to promote help-seeking in adolescents with clinical or subclinical anxiety symptoms. The program combines six self-guided online modules with three individual videoconference sessions with a trained psychologist. It integrates core components from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Motivational Interviewing, and the Transtheoretical Model of Change. The intervention is tailored to the developmental stage of adolescents and is delivered remotely to participants meeting the inclusion criteria.

Study Details

Adolescents frequently experience clinical and subclinical anxiety symptoms, yet many avoid seeking professional help. While universal interventions exist to promote help-seeking, targeted programs for adolescents with elevated anxiety symptoms remain scarce. Therefore, accessible and tailored strategies are needed to effectively promote help-seeking among this group. TOUCHminds is a web-based intervention designed to enhance help-seeking among adolescents with clinical or subclinical anxiety. The program consists of six self-guided modules featuring interactive activities (e.g., images, videos, simulation activities, and audio recordings), combined with three synchronous sessions led by a psychologist via videoconference. The intervention explicitly targets precursors of help-seeking, including mental health literacy, mental health stigma, self-compassion, readiness to change, and stage of change. This research project comprises two studies. Study I, a feasibility study involving 10 adolescents aged 15 to 17, will assess recruitment procedures, dropout rates, usage patterns, therapist fidelity, acceptability, usability, satisfaction, and preliminary effects. Study II, a randomized controlled trial (RCT), intends to include 96 adolescents randomly assigned to four groups: clinical intervention, clinical control, subclinical intervention, and subclinical control. Clinical participants are those who meet diagnostic criteria for one or more anxiety disorders, whereas subclinical participants present high self-reported anxiety but no mental disorder diagnosis. Intervention effects will based on self-report assessments conducted at pre-intervention, post-intervention (9 weeks later), and at 3-month follow-up. This research will provide evidence regarding the suitability and effectiveness of TOUCHminds in promoting help-seeking among adolescents experiencing different levels of anxiety symptoms. Findings will contribute to the field of empirically validated web-based interventions tailored specifically for adolescents.

Key Dates

First listed
Jan 26, 2026
Start date
Sep 15, 2026
Status verified
Jan 2026
Primary completion
Jun 15, 2028
Completion
Sep 30, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment
96 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Experimental: Experimental: Clinical Group (study I and study II)
    Adolescents meeting diagnostic criteria for one or more anxiety disorders (study I n= 5; study II n = 24). Participants receive the TOUCHminds intervention. Assessments are conducted at pre-intervention (study I and II), post-intervention (9 weeks later; study I and II), and at 3-month follow-up (study II).
  • No Intervention: Control: Clinical Group (study II)
    Adolescents meeting diagnostic criteria for one or more anxiety disorders (study II n = 24). Participants do not receive the intervention during the main study period but are assessed at the same time points as the intervention group: pre-intervention, post-intervention (9 weeks later), and 3-month follow-up. After completing the final assessment, they are granted access to the TOUCHminds intervention.
  • Experimental: Experimental: Subclinical Group (study I and study II)
    Adolescents presenting subclinical anxiety symptoms (i.e., high self-reported anxiety but no mental disorder diagnosis; study I n= 5; study II n = 24). Participants receive the TOUCHminds intervention. Assessments are conducted at pre-intervention (study I and II), post-intervention (9 weeks later; study I and II), and at 3-month follow-up (study II).
  • No Intervention: Control: Subclinical Group (study II)
    Adolescents presenting subclinical anxiety symptoms (i.e., high self-reported anxiety but no mental disorder diagnosis; study II n = 24). Participants do not receive the intervention during the main study period but are assessed at the same time points as the intervention group: baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention (9 weeks later), and 3-month follow-up. After completing the final assessment, they are granted access to the TOUCHminds intervention.

Primary Outcome Measure

General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ). [ Time Frame: Administered one week before the intervention (T0), one week after completion (T1), and 3 months after completion (T2) in experimental groups (Studies I-II), and at corresponding times (9 weeks after T0 and 3 months later) in control groups (Study II). ]

Central Contacts

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