Purrble's Soothing Touch for Eating Disorders and Autism

NCT07007481 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 33389810.17605/OSF.IO/4UKFW
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential therapeutic benefits of the Purrble intervention, a tangible device designed to assist with in-situ emotion regulation, for individuals on the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) Eating Disorders outpatient service waiting list. By examining its effects on emotion regulation, sensory sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and motivation for treatment engagement, the study seeks to offer empirical evidence on the efficacy of the Purrble as a supportive tool while patients are on the waiting list for formal outpatient treatment.

Conditions

Eating Disorders; Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keywords

Eating Disorders; Autism; Sensory Porcessing; Emotion Regulation; Purrble

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale DERS-8

  DERS-8 is a unidimensional measure of emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents and adults.

  From enrollment to the end of intervention at 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group (Purrble)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will be provided with the Purrble device, while waitlisted for eating disorder treatment.

Device: Purrble

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

The control condition will be waitlist as usual. Participants in this arm will not receive the Purrble intervention and will serve as a reference group for comparison.

Interventions

Purrble DEVICE

The intervention takes the form of an interactive plush toy, which was co-designed with children to support in-the-moment soothing. The device is framed as an anxious creature, in need of care and attention when it feels distressed. This distress is indicated by a simulated heartbeat using embedded electronics to produce vibration patterns of i) frantic and anxious, to ii) slow, steady and relaxed. When held, the device emits a frantic heartbeat which can be slowed by stroking movements registered by embedded sensors. Once the device has been "soothed" for long enough, the heartbeat transitions into a purring vibration indicating a relaxed state. This transition can be achieved in under 1 minute but is dependent on the device-human interaction.

Intervention Group (Purrble)

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Currently enrolled on the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) Eating Disorders Outpatient Service waiting list
• Confirmed diagnosis of an ED.
• Participants aged 18 and above.
• Willing to commit to the duration of the study and provide informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals currently dealing with substance abuse issues.
• Individuals with active psychosis.
• Individuals currently experiencing high suicidality or deemed to be at a high risk of self-harm.
• Individuals currently undergoing a separate ED treatment.
• Individuals who have previously been exposed to the Purrble intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• King's College London: lead

Study Sites (1)

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

London, SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Slovak P, Ford BQ, Widen S, Dauden Roquet C, Theofanopoulou N, Gross JJ, Hankin B, Klasnja P. An In Situ, Child-Led Intervention to Promote Emotion Regulation Competence in Middle Childhood: Protocol for an Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Nov 9;10(11):e28914. doi: 10.2196/28914.

  PMID: 34751666 BACKGROUND

• Kinnaird E, Dandil Y, Li Z, Smith K, Pimblett C, Agbalaya R, Stewart C, Tchanturia K. Pragmatic Sensory Screening in Anorexia Nervosa and Associations with Autistic Traits. J Clin Med. 2020 Apr 20;9(4):1182. doi: 10.3390/jcm9041182.

  PMID: 32326069 BACKGROUND

• Brockmeyer T, Skunde M, Wu M, Bresslein E, Rudofsky G, Herzog W, Friederich HC. Difficulties in emotion regulation across the spectrum of eating disorders. Compr Psychiatry. 2014 Apr;55(3):565-71. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.12.001. Epub 2013 Dec 7.

  PMID: 24411653 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Feeding and Eating Disorders; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder; Emotional Regulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Self-Control; Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Kate Tchantura, PhD

  King's College London

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 28, 2025
• First Posted: June 5, 2025
• Study Start: February 8, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2025
• Study Completion: November 30, 2025
• Last Updated: June 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Locations

GB (1)