Peer support to help adolescents and young adults with sickle cell pain use cognitive behavioral therapy
Peer suppoRt for adolescents and Emerging adults with Sickle cell pain: promoting ENgagement in Cognitive behavioral thErapy
This project offers a personalized digital cognitive behavioral therapy program with peer support for adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease, compared with self-guided CBT and usual care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11393959 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be randomly assigned to a personalized digital CBT program plus trained peer support, a self-guided CBT program, or to continue usual care. You'll use a tailored app to learn pain-coping skills, connect with peer supporters, and regularly report pain levels, opioid use, and healthcare visits. The team partnered with community groups and the NIH HEAL network during an initial phase to adapt the program and prepare sites. They requested extra HEAL funds to address unanticipated costs and strengthen the peer support and trial rollout for the larger UH3 phase.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Teenagers and young adults with sickle cell disease who experience recurrent pain and are willing to use a digital program and peer support (roughly ages 13–30).
Not a fit: People without sickle cell disease, older adults outside the target age range, or those unable or unwilling to use digital tools or engage with peer support may not benefit from this trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could reduce pain, lower opioid use, and decrease emergency visits and hospitalizations for adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease.
How similar studies have performed: Cognitive behavioral therapy and digital CBT have shown benefits for pain and stress in prior studies, but combining personalized digital CBT with structured peer support is relatively new for this group.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rollman, Bruce Lawrence — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Rollman, Bruce Lawrence
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.