Ecological Momentary Intervention (E-Breathing) to Reduce Psychological Distress in Adolescents

Sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Study ID
NCT07717112
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Anxiety
  • Depressed Mood
  • Psychological Distress
  • Stress

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
11 Years - 17 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Slow-paced breathing via ecological momentary intervention — BEHAVIORAL
    The EMA core survey measures seven negative affect (e.g., irritated, sad, ruminating) and six positive affect (e.g., cheerful, relaxed, content). Response options for these items are on a 7-point scale. The application will program to send out these core items 5 times per day. In addition to completing EMAs, the EMI group will receive prompts to practice slow-paced breathing during the 2-week trial period. After completing each EMA core survey, the mHealth platform will automatically analyze the EMA data and notify participants who reported high negative affect (mean score ≥ 3) to voluntarily slow down their breathing rate. Specifically, participants will be required to breathe at a rate of 6 respiratory cycles per minute, using nasal breathing, with a 1: 1 ratio of inspiratory: expiratory duration. During each practice, the participants will be instructed to assume a relaxed position, close their eyes, and passively ignore distracting thoughts while engaging in repetitive breathing
  • Ecological momentary assessments — BEHAVIORAL
    The EMA core survey measures seven negative affect (e.g., irritated, sad, ruminating) and six positive affect (e.g., cheerful, relaxed, content). Response options for these items are on a 7-point scale. The app will program to send out these core items 5 times per day.

Study Details

A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to test a mobile-based intervention, E-breathing, for early detection and intervention to address psychological distress in at-risk adolescents in Hong Kong. E-breathing harnesses the science of real-time, in-situ assessment approach - Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) - to capture the psychological symptoms and needs of adolescents. Based on the real-time data collected via smartphone, the mobile application prompts the practice of slow-paced breathing as an Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) to reduce psychological distress. This RCT will recruit a total of 100 participants who will be randomly allocated to either (1) an intervention group (EMI group), where they will receive a feedback prompt when they score high on negative affect (i.e., E-breathing) or (2) the control group (EMA group), where they will only complete EMAs without feedback. This project aims to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of E-breathing in improving psychological symptoms in Hong Kong adolescents. This project also examine the underlying physio-mechanisms of the effects of E-breathing on psychological outcomes in this target population.

Key Dates

First listed
Jul 21, 2026
Start date
Oct 1, 2026
Status verified
Jul 2026
Primary completion
Jan 31, 2027
Completion
May 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
100 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: EMI group
    In addition to completing ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) survey, the EMI group will receive prompts to practice slow-paced breathing during the 2-week trial period. After completing each EMA core survey, the mHealth platform will automatically analyze the EMA data and notify participants who reported high negative affect (mean score ≥ 3) to voluntarily slow down their breathing rate. Specifically, participants will be required to breathe at a rate of 6 respiratory cycles per minute, using nasal breathing, with a 1: 1 ratio of inspiratory: expiratory duration. During each practice, the participants will be instructed to assume a relaxed position, close their eyes, and passively ignore distracting thoughts while engaging in repetitive breathing exercises for 3 min each.
  • Active Comparator: EMA control group
    The control group (EMA group) will follow the EMA data collection procedure as same as EMI intervention group but will not receive any feedback via the app. The EMA group is included in this trial to investigate reactivity and whether completing mobile assessments alone (without slow breathing-prompt feedback) will affect the mental health status of participants.

Primary Outcome Measure

Positive and negative affect [ Time Frame: Five times per day during the 2-week trial period. ]

Central Contacts

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