Daily online hypnosis exercises to improve mental health and self-esteem in 10-11-year-olds
Official title: Online Medical Hypnosis Exercises to Improve Mental Health in Primary School Children and Prevent Future Mental Health Issues
Run by St. Antonius Hospital · NCT07157358 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We test whether listening to short online hypnosis recordings each schoolday for six weeks helps 10-11-year-old children improve self-esteem and resilience and reduces their risk of anxiety or depression later on.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 9 Years to 12 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 345 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | St. Antonius Hospital Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Leiden) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 31, 2025 |
| Main results expected | June 30, 2026 |
| Study ends | September 1, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | September 5, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07157358 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are Dutch-speaking children in grades 6 or 7 at participating primary schools who have parental permission, access to an electronic device, are not currently receiving psychological treatment, and have not had hypnotherapy in the past three years.
✕Probably not a fit
Children currently in psychological treatment, those who recently received hypnotherapy, or non-Dutch speakers are unlikely to be eligible or receive benefit from this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized, open-label study assigns children aged 10–11 to start an online Breinbaas hypnosis audio program immediately or after a six-month delay. Participants listen to a recording (up to 15–20 minutes) each schoolday for six weeks and complete questionnaires on self-esteem, resilience, mental health, stress, and sleep before, during, and after the intervention. The primary outcome is change in self-esteem after six weeks, with secondary outcomes including resilience, psychosocial functioning, overall stress level, and sleep. Recruitment takes place in participating primary schools across three regions of the Netherlands, with the delayed-start group serving as the control.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could boost self-esteem and resilience in primary-school children and help lower the chance of developing anxiety or depression later in adolescence.
How similar studies have gone: There is limited but emerging evidence that hypnosis and guided audio can help children with anxiety, sleep, or stress, but daily school-based preventive hypnosis programs of this type are relatively novel and not yet widely tested.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: In order to be eligible to participate in this study, a subject must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Fluent in Dutch 2. Attending group 6 or 7 of a regular primary school in the Netherlands 3. Permission of the parents to listen daily to one of the Breinbaas hypnosis exercises (maximum 20 minutes per day) 4. Access to an electronic device to listen to the Breinbaas exercises (phone, tablet, computer) - Exclusion Criteria: A potential subject who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: 1. Children treated with hypnotherapy in the three years preceding potential inclusion 2. Children currently receiving psychological treatment
Where it's running
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University Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Arine M Vlieger, MD,PhD — St. Antonius Hospital
- Study coordinator: Shelley van der Veek, PhD
- Email: sveek@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
- Phone: 0031-715273767
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.