Digital Rewards and Retention in a M-health App

NCT06883773 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: DIGITALGAMINGRCT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 177
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Attrition and user engagement are two challenges that eHealth interventions struggle with. Attempts to address this have been previously made through gamification, instructional design and using different types of incentives. Overall, any type of reward, be it non-financial or monetary is better than the controls, but the latter usually produce a greater effect. It is also worth mentioning that having an affective value attached to the reward itself is also important to user retention and engagement. Given the ever-increasing interest in cryptocurrency and its current relevance, the present study - a randomized clinical trial with three arms - aims to compare cryptocurrency to non-monetary rewards regarding their effectiveness in reducing attrition and increasing engagement. In order to do this, a mental-health computerized intervention will be developed, in which the users will have to complete several modules, during which time they will be rewarded either with cryptocurrency, sweepstake rewards (e.g., vouchers), or nothing.

Conditions

Transdiagnostic Psychopathology; Attrition; Engagement; Depression, Anxiety; Stress

Keywords

crypto; digital rewards; mHealth; attrition; CBT; NFT

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Participant retention

  The numbers of participants that get to finish the entire intervention

  From enrollment to the end of the 6 week intervention

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• User Engagement Scale - Short Version (UES-SF)

  From the first module to the last (from week 1 to 6)

• The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) - Depression

  On week 1 and week 6 of the intervention

• The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) - Anxiety

  On week 1 and week 6 of the intervention

• The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) - Stress

  On week 1 and week 6 of the intervention

• DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Adult

  On week 1 and week 6 of the intervention

Study Arms (3)

Crypto reward group

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants will be enrolled in a weekly, 6 module intervention, which will require them to read psychoeducational materials, complete quizzes regarding those materials, complete the module-specific exercise, and then get rewarded in cryptocurrency. The participants will be assessed before, during and after the intervention.

Behavioral: Multipurpose Online Tool

Sweepstakes reward group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The participants will be enrolled in a weekly, 6 module intervention, which will require them to read psychoeducational materials, complete quizzes regarding those materials, complete the module-specific exercise, and then earn the chance to win vouchers for an online store. The participants will be assessed before, during and after the intervention.

Behavioral: Multipurpose Online Tool

Waitlist

OTHER

The participants will be enrolled on the platform, but only for completing the assessments.

Other: No intervention

Interventions

Multipurpose Online Tool BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consists of 6 psychoeducational modules, on the Canvas teaching platform. They are automated, requiring no interaction with others (except for communication between participants and the team). Participants go through the psychoeducational modules, then do the corresponding exercise, and then access their rewards (if they belong to the experimental or comparative groups).

Crypto reward group; Sweepstakes reward group

No intervention OTHER

The participants will be assessed but without any intervention

Waitlist

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• English speaking

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bucharest: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Bucharest

Bucharest, Romania

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tooth Wear; Depression; Anxiety Disorders; Cryptococcosis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mental Disorders; Mycoses; Bacterial Infections and Mycoses; Infections

Central Study Contacts

Cezar Giosan, PhD

CONTACT

+40730908050; giosan@outlook.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Psychology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 24, 2025
• First Posted: March 19, 2025
• Study Start: March 15, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 15, 2025
• Study Completion: September 1, 2025
• Last Updated: March 19, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Locations

RO (1)