Preventive and Personalized Digital Emotion Regulation Skills Intervention to Reduce Depression and Anxiety in Youths With Adverse Childhood Experiences

The present study aims to determine whether a personalized digital psychoeducation intervention (active intervention group) is more effective than self-monitoring of one's mood (control group) in reducing emotion regulation difficulties, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in at-risk youths exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We hypothesized that the active intervention group will be associated with less severe emotion regulation difficulties, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than the control group at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. This study will recruit a total of N = 140 youths (age 15 to 35 years) with ACEs and randomized into either the active intervention group (n = 70) or the control group (n = 70). Participants will complete study measures at baseline, post-intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. The study team has expertise in youth mental health. This study is feasible and will be completed within 4 years. Our findings will support the development and implementation of an efficacious, cost-effective, personalized and scalable intervention to reduce poor mental health and prevent the onset of mental disorders among at-risk youths. Our intervention has significant potential to improve population health, quality of life, functioning, morbidity, and mortality, as well as alleviate the healthcare burden associated with ACEs.

Inclusion Criteria: * Exposed to at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) * Screened positive for elevated scores on the Difficulty with Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) OR Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) OR mild to moderate scores on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) * Aged 15 years to 35 years * Singapore citizens or permanent residents * Able to speak or understand English * Regular access to a smart phone or tablet with internet connection Exclusion Criteria: * Self-reported diagnosis of any mental disorder * Currently seeking mental health support from any mental health professional (i.e., psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, counsellor, etc.) for any mental health difficulties * Self-reported active suicidal behavior * Miss 2 consecutive intervention sessions