Efficacy and mechanisms of mobile application-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in China: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Ziyi Zhao, Chunxiao Zhao, Zhihong Ren, Congrong Shi, Lizu Lai

Open access · goldAbstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Internet interventions, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

3citing papers in PubMed

1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field

1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

Neural mechanisms underlying implicit emotion regulation deficit in relational and nonrelational trauma PTSD: Insights from the Nested Hierarchical Model of Self.Psychological medicine · 2025
Article
Persisting with Purpose: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Target Comorbid Opioid Use Disorder and Chronic Pain in a Racially and Economically Marginalized Population.Journal of contextual behavioral science · 2025
Article
Post-Intensive Care Syndrome in Patients Suffering From Acute Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Results From an Outpatient Post-ICU Aftercare Clinic.Cureus · 2023
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ziyi ZhaoKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.

Chunxiao ZhaoSchool of Humanities, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.

Zhihong RenKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.

Congrong ShiKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.

Lizu LaiKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.

Central China Normal University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impact, the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is increasing significantly in China. Yet access to reliable and effective psychological treatment is still limited during the pandemic. The widespread adoption of mobile technologies may provide a new way to address this gap. In this research we will develop an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based intervention delivered by mobile application and will test its usability, efficacy, and mechanism of its effects in relieving PTSD symptoms. Methods: A total of 147 Chinese participants with a diagnosis of PTSD according to the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (app-delivered ACT), an active comparison group (app-delivered mindfulness), or a waitlist group. Participants in the intervention group or comparison group will use their respective apps for one month. Online self-report questionnaires will be used to assess the primary outcome of PTSD symptoms and the secondary outcomes symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, and posttraumatic growth. The potential mediating variable to be tested is psychological flexibility and its components. These assessments will be conducted at baseline, at five times during treatment, at the end of treatment, and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. Discussion: As far as we know, this study is the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the usability, efficacy, and mechanism of an app-delivered ACT intervention for PTSD. Furthermore, the research will assess the effect of treatment in reducing dropout rates, explore effective therapeutic components, and investigate mechanisms of symptom change, which will be valuable in improving the efficacy and usability of PTSD interventions.Trial registration: ChiCTR2200058408.

Indexed as

ACTACT, Acceptance Commitment TherapyChinaCOVID-19COVID-19, Corona Virus Disease 2019Mobile app-delivered interventionPosttraumatic stress disorderRandomized controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID36426200

DOI10.1016/j.invent.2022.100585

PMCPMC9678960

OpenAlexW4308927645

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.