Trial reportJMIR mHealth and uHealth2022
The Effects of an Exposure-Based Mobile App on Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04155736 (A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Self-Management App for Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Self-Management App for Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress: The Role of Coaching Support
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of User Engagement With Exposure Components on Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in an mHealth Mobile App: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Trial
- Article
- Staying Relevant in the Digital Age: Exploring the Evolving Frontier of Telehealth for Mental Health in the Military Health System and Veterans Health Administration.Current psychiatry reports · 2025Review
- Digital Health Interventions for Military Members, Veterans, and Public Safety Personnel: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 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
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in clinical trials of mental health apps.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBarriers to accessing in-person care can prevent veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from receiving trauma-focused treatments such as exposure therapy. Mobile apps may help to address unmet need for services by offering tools for users to self-manage PTSD symptoms. Renew is a mobile mental health app that focuses on exposure therapy and incorporates a social support function designed to promote user engagement.
objectiveWe examined the preliminary efficacy of Renew with and without support from a research staff member compared with waitlist among 93 veterans with clinically significant PTSD symptoms. We also examined the impact of study staff support on participant engagement with the app.
methodsIn a pilot randomized controlled trial, we compared Renew with and without support from a research staff member (active use condition) with waitlist (delayed use condition) over 6 weeks. Participants were recruited through online advertisements. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) was used to measure PTSD symptoms at pre, post, and 6-week follow-up. Usage data were collected to assess engagement with Renew.
resultsResults indicated a small effect size (d=-0.39) favoring those in the active use conditions relative to the delayed use condition, but the between-group difference was not significant (P=.29). There were no differences on indices of app engagement between the 2 active use conditions. Exploratory analyses found that the number of support persons users added to the app, but not the number of support messages received, was positively correlated with app engagement.
conclusionsFindings suggest Renew may hold promise as a self-management tool to reduce PTSD symptoms in veterans. Involving friends and family in mobile mental health apps may help bolster engagement with no additional cost to public health systems.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04155736; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04155736.
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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.