Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2022
Efficacy, Benefits, and Harms of a Self-management App in a Swedish Trauma-Exposed Community Sample (PTSD Coach): Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT04094922 (PTSD Coach Sweden), which is not on this map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
PTSD Coach Sweden: Evaluating a Self-help Mobile App for Posttraumatic Stress in a Community Sample
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Smartphone apps for mental health: systematic review of the literature and five recommendations for clinical translation.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of web-based and mobile PTSD Coach: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Pooled it
- Effects and User-Reported Experiences of a Self-Management Mobile Health App for Grieving Adolescents: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Hybrid type 1 randomized controlled trial of technology-assisted stepped care behavioral health intervention for caregivers and children following pediatric traumatic injury.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Trial
- Cost-Effectiveness of App-Guided Self-Management for Posttraumatic Stress: Trial-Based Economic Evaluation.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- A Qualitative Exploration of Post-Injury Challenges and the Potential Role of the PTSD Coach Mobile Application to Improve Recovery Among Acutely Injured Patients.Journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
- Development and pilot-testing of an app to complement trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- A 1-year follow-up of the My Grief app for prolonged grief.Journal of traumatic stress · 2025Article
- Feasibility and acceptability of remote technologies for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders in adults: mixed-methods systematic review.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- The evolving field of digital mental health: current evidence and implementation issues for smartphone apps, generative artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2025Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in clinical trials of mental health apps.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Use of mobile applications and mental health services among veterans who received internet-connected tablets.JAMIA open · 2024Article
- Barriers, Facilitators, and Requirements for a Telerehabilitation Aftercare Program for Patients After Occupational Injuries: Semistructured Interviews With Key Stakeholders.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- The self-help app My Grief: Bereaved parents' experiences of helpfulness, satisfaction and usability.Internet interventions · 2024Article
- A counsellor-supported 'PTSD Coach' intervention versus enhanced Treatment-as-Usual in a resource-constrained setting: A randomised controlled trial.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2024Article
- Participants' experiences of a counsellor-supported PTSD Coach intervention in a resource-constrained setting.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2024Article
- Neurotechnological solutions for post-traumatic stress disorder: A perspective review and concept proposal.Healthcare technology letters · 2023Review
- Longitudinal follow-up of the randomized controlled trial of access to the trauma-focused self-management app PTSD Coach.Internet interventions · 2023Article
- E-health as a sine qua non for modern healthcare.RMD open · 2022Article
- My Grief App for Prolonged Grief in Bereaved Parents: A Pilot Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSelf-guided interventions may complement and overcome obstacles to in-person treatment options. The efficacy of app interventions targeting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is unclear, and results from previous studies on PTSD Coach-an app for managing trauma-related distress-are inconsistent.
objectiveThis study investigates whether access to the Swedish version of the PTSD Coach affects posttraumatic stress, depressive, and somatic symptoms. In addition, we aim to assess the perceived helpfulness, satisfaction, negative effects, response, and remission related to PTSD Coach.
methodsAdults who had experienced potentially traumatic events in the past 2 years were randomized (1:1) to have access to PTSD Coach (n=89) or be on the waitlist (n=90). We assessed clinical characteristics at baseline (semistructured interviews and self-rating scales) and after 3 months (self-rating scales). We analyzed the data in R software using linear mixed effects models, chi-square tests, and Fisher exact test.
resultsIntention-to-treat analyses indicated that access to PTSD Coach decreased posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms but not somatic symptoms. More participants who had access to PTSD Coach responded with clinically significant improvement and fewer instances of probable PTSD after 3 months compared with waitlist controls. Overall, participants found that PTSD Coach was slightly to moderately helpful and moderately satisfactory. Half of the intervention group (36/71, 51%) reported at least one negative reaction related to using PTSD Coach (eg, disappointment with the app or its results, arousal of stress, or distressing memories).
conclusionsUsing PTSD Coach may trigger symptoms among a few users; however, most of them perceived PTSD Coach as helpful and satisfactory. This study showed that having access to PTSD Coach helped improve psychological trauma-related symptoms. In addition, we have discussed implications for future research and clinical practice.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04094922; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04094922.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.