Service-user Experiences of Text-based Conversations With a Computer About Their Difficulties

NCT03524196 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 238389
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 17
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are common. Services are finding it difficult to treat people quickly. This has led to computers being used to treat common problems. Research has shown that around half of people who have mental health problems have more than one difficulty (e.g.low mood and worry). Many of the computer interventions available are not designed to work with more than one problem at a time. This can make them less helpful and can lead to people stopping intervention early. A talking intervention called the Method of Levels is suitable for people with more than one problem. A new computer programme that aims to emulate this type of intervention is called Manage Your Life Online (MYLO). MYLO is accessed online. Users have conversations with MYLO by typing on a computer keyboard. MYLO aims to help people to talk freely and experience feelings related to a problem. In this way, people can find new ways of thinking about their problem. MYLO can be used as often as the person wants. MYLO has been tested twice before with student volunteers. Participants said that it was helpful in solving an everyday problem. The investigators are not aware of any research that has tested a programme like MYLO for people experiencing mental health problems. 24 adult service users will be recruited from Self Help Services, a participating organisation in Manchester contracted to provide primary care mental health provision for NHS patients. Participants will use MYLO for a two week period. The investigators aim to conduct a detailed examination of what questions service users find helpful and unhelpful in intervention with MYLO and whether service user perceptions are related to key mechanisms of psychological change identified in MOL. The information gathered from this study will help to increase understanding of how this type of intervention works and what makes it most helpful to service users. These findings will inform improvements to the MYLO programme to improve its acceptability to service users.

Conditions

Psychological

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• MOL helpfulness ratings questionnaire.

  Participants will read their first MYLO conversation transcript and be asked to choose two questions which they found helpful and two questions which they found unhelpful. Participants will be interviewed about why they have chosen each of the four questions and this will be audio taped. Participants will complete a MOL helpfulness rating scale for each of the 4 questions. Ratings of helpfulness are on an 11-point likert scale (0, not helpful at all to 10, extremely helpful) and ratings of the degree to which the question enabled 1) a sense of control over what is happening 2) the ability to talk freely 3) the ability to experience emotion and 4) to see the problem in a new way.

  2 weeks post baseline

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Reorganisation of Conflict Scale (RoC)

  Baseline & two weeks post

• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

  Baseline & two weeks post

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7)

  Baseline & two weeks post

• Psychological Outcome Profiles questionnaire (PSYCHLOPS)

  Baseline & two weeks post

• Qualitative feedback about the MYLO interface

  2 weeks post baseline

Study Arms (1)

MYLO

EXPERIMENTAL

Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) is accessed online using a username and password. Client's type into the MYLO conversation box about a problem they are currently experiencing. MYLO operates by analysing the client's input of text for key terms and themes. It responds with questions about the problem aimed at encouraging higher level awareness. Participants will decide how often to use the MYLO programme over a two week period. This is likely to be a reasonable length of time to allow at least one use of the programme with no upper limit on usage.

Other: Manage Your Life Online (MYLO)

Interventions

Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) OTHER

Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) is accessed online using a username and password. Client's type into the MYLO conversation box about a problem they are currently experiencing. MYLO operates by analysing the client's input of text for key terms and themes. It responds with questions about the problem aimed at encouraging higher level awareness. Participants will decide how often to use the MYLO programme over a two week period. This is likely to be a reasonable length of time to allow at least one use of the programme with no upper limit on usage.

MYLO

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 16+
• Able to converse, read and write in English proficiently
• Service user considers the MYLO programme to offer a potentially helpful format of intervention
• Service user has access to a device connected to the internet

You may not qualify if:

• A higher intensity (step 3) psychological intervention has been recommended
• Service user has current suicidal intent or persistent self-injury
• Service user is currently psychotic
• Service user has current substance dependence identified as a primary problem
• There is a known neurological or organic basis for their presentation (e.g. dementia)
• Service user has a moderate to severe learning disability which would impair their ability to use the computer programme and take part
• Service user has a sight difficulty which would impair their ability to use the computer programme and take part

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Manchester: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Manchester

Manchester, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (14)

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  BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

• Cocklin AA, Mansell W, Emsley R, McEvoy P, Preston C, Comiskey J, Tai S. Client Perceptions of Helpfulness in Therapy: a Novel Video-Rating Methodology for Examining Process Variables at Brief Intervals During a Single Session. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2017 Nov;45(6):647-660. doi: 10.1017/S1352465817000273. Epub 2017 May 22.

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  PMID: 23899405 BACKGROUND

• Gilbody S, Brabyn S, Lovell K, Kessler D, Devlin T, Smith L, Araya R, Barkham M, Bower P, Cooper C, Knowles S, Littlewood E, Richards DA, Tallon D, White D, Worthy G; REEACT collaborative. Telephone-supported computerised cognitive-behavioural therapy: REEACT-2 large-scale pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2017 May;210(5):362-367. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.116.192435. Epub 2017 Mar 2.

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  PMID: 24465404 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 27396841 BACKGROUND

• Powers, W. (1973). Behavior: The control of perception. Chicago: Aldine publishing co. Retrieved from http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/bs.3830190609

  BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Trainee Clinical Psychologist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2018
• First Posted: May 14, 2018
• Study Start: November 19, 2018
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2019
• Study Completion: July 11, 2019
• Last Updated: September 25, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)