Testing an Adaptive Intervention for Peer-Supported Mobile Health for Primary Care Veterans With Psychological Distress
Peer mHealth
2 other identifiers
interventional
384
1 country
5
Brief Summary
Many Veterans experience psychological distress including depression, PTSD, anxiety and problems with sleep and anger. Services to address these problems need to be easy for Veterans to access. VA mobile health applications (mHealth apps) that teach skills to manage psychological distress are widely available. However, Veterans rarely use these apps enough to experience health benefits. Peer specialists are VA employees who are trained to use their lived experiences in mental health recovery to help other Veterans. Peers can provide support and accountability to Veterans as they use mHealth apps. Peers working in VA primary care settings are easily accessible to Veterans who receive VA services. This study aims to improve the health of Veterans by testing the effectiveness of peer-supported mHealth in reducing psychological distress. It will also test how much peer support Veterans need to improve their health with using mHealth apps.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Jul 2026
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
5 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
March 27, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
April 2, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
July 1, 2026
ExpectedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
April 30, 2029
Study Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
April 30, 2030
April 13, 2026
April 1, 2026
2.8 years
March 27, 2026
April 7, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale
Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale is a widely used measure of psychological distress consisting of 21 items measured on a 4-point scale. The total score ranges from 0-63. Higher scores indicate greater severity.
baseline to 24 weeks
Secondary Outcomes (6)
Post Traumatic Stess Checklist-5
baseline to 24 weeks
Insomnia Severity Index
baseline to 25 weeks
Dimensions of Anger Reactions
baseline to 24 weeks
Brief Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning
baseline to 24 weeks
Satisfaction with Life Questionnaire
baseline to 24 weeks
- +1 more secondary outcomes
Other Outcomes (3)
University of Rhode Island Change Assessment
baseline to 24 weeks
Coping Self Efficacy Scale
baseline to 24 weeks
Assessing Circumstances and Offering Resources for Needs
baseline to 24 weeks
Study Arms (2)
Stage 1
EXPERIMENTALStage 1 randomization
Stage 2
EXPERIMENTALStage 2 randomization
Interventions
Patients receive one session with a peer while using mHealth apps to manage psychological distress
Patients receive 4 sessions with a peer while using mHealth apps to manage psychological distress
Patients receive 4 session with a peer focused on Whole Health
Patients use mHealth apps to manage psychological distress
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Veteran enrolled in primary care at one of 3 VA facilities (Philadelphia, PA; Ann Arbor, MI; and Bedford, MA)
- clinically significant psychological distress on at least one DASS-21 subscale (Depression =\> 10, Anxiety =\> 8, Stress =\> 13)
You may not qualify if:
- symptoms that may preclude active engagement in the intervention such as gross cognitive impairment or current symptoms of mania or psychosis
- suicide risk as measured by the P4 Suicide Assessment
- plan to engage in psychotherapy during the intervention period
- started or changed the dose of a psychotropic medication in the last two months
- voice a preference to be directly referred to mental health specialty care
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (5)
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, California, 94304-1207, United States
VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA
Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730-1114, United States
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105-2303, United States
Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY
Syracuse, New York, 13210-2716, United States
Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-4551, United States
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Kyle Possemato, PhD
Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- SEQUENTIAL
- Sponsor Type
- FED
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
March 27, 2026
First Posted
April 2, 2026
Study Start (Estimated)
July 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
April 30, 2029
Study Completion (Estimated)
April 30, 2030
Last Updated
April 13, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-04
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share