Peer-supported mobile mental health for Veterans in primary care
Official title: Testing an Adaptive Intervention for Peer-Supported Mobile Health for Primary Care Veterans with Psychological Distress
Funded at Syracuse VA Medical Center · NIH-11242343 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try matching Veterans with the right amount of peer support to help them use VA mental health apps and feel less psychological distress.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Syracuse VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Syracuse, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 1I01RD000522-01A2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11242343 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans receiving VA primary care who have psychological distress and are willing to use smartphone mental health apps and work with peer specialists.
✕Less likely to help
People without smartphone access, those with severe uncontrolled psychiatric conditions requiring intensive care, or Veterans who do not want peer-based support may not benefit.
What this research studies
If I join, I'll use VA mental health apps on my phone and get help from trained peer specialists. The amount and timing of peer support I get can change based on how I'm doing, using a stepped approach called a SMART design. The team will track my app use, symptoms, and satisfaction to see which level of support helps most. The aim is to create a brief, practical program that VA clinics can use with many Veterans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help Veterans get the right amount of peer help to use mental health apps more, improving engagement and reducing distress.
How similar studies have gone: Prior VA work has shown peer-supported app use is feasible and can boost engagement and satisfaction, though using an adaptive dosing (SMART) approach is newer.
Where this research is happening
-
Syracuse VA Medical Center
Syracuse, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Possemato, Kyle — Syracuse VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Possemato, Kyle
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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.