Short videos sent by text to support teens and young adults with PTSD
Official title: Brief Videos Delivered by Text Messages as a Public Health Intervention for PTSD in Youth: A Feasibility and Acceptability Randomized Trial
Run by IWK Health Centre · NCT07165782 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether brief informational videos delivered by text messages can help people aged 15–25 manage PTSD symptoms.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 15 Years to 25 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 98 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | IWK Health Centre Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Halifax, Nova Scotia) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 10, 2025 |
| Main results expected | September 10, 2026 |
| Study ends | December 30, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | September 10, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07165782 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are 15–25-year-olds living in Canada with probable PTSD (PCL score ≥31), access to a phone and data, and the ability to read English.
✕Probably not a fit
People with active suicidality, current psychosis, inability to read English, or without reliable mobile access are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Young people aged 15–25 with likely PTSD will be enrolled and receive brief informational videos delivered to their phones via text message. The trial will measure changes in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, daily functioning, and post-traumatic growth. The team will also track feasibility and acceptability by monitoring recruitment, adherence, video viewing, and participant ratings of usefulness, clarity, and relevance. Screening excludes active suicidality or psychosis and requires English literacy and Canadian residence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this low-cost, scalable approach could reduce PTSD symptoms and improve functioning for youth who can access text-delivered videos.
How similar studies have gone: Digital psychoeducation and brief digital interventions have shown modest benefits for mood and anxiety in some studies, but few trials have tested text-delivered video interventions specifically for youth PTSD, so this approach is relatively novel for this population.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Likely diagnosis of PTSD as indicated by a minimum score of 31 on the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist * Direct exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence or through witnessing, learning it happened to a close relation as assessed by the Life Events Checklist * Between 15 and 25 years old at time of enrolment * Access to a mobile phone and a data plan that allows them to receive text messages and videos * Live in Canada Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of active suicidality, determined by items from the Patient Safety Screener * Active symptoms of psychosis, indicated by a brief Psychosis Screener Questionnaire * An inability to read and/or understand English
Where it's running
-
IWK Health
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Patrick J McGrath, PhD — IWK Health
- Study coordinator: Patrick J McGrath, PhD
- Email: patrick.mcgrath@iwk.nshealth.ca
- Phone: +13435588921
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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.