Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41403474›Full record

ArticleContemporary clinical trials communications2025

The Bud App: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial with an internal pilot phase targeting modifiable risk and protective factors for suicide among international students.

Samuel McKay, Christina Ng, Jennifer Nicholas, Vivienne Browne, Gina Chinnery, Isabella Choi, Bailey Nation-Ingle, Kristal Alison, Ella Perlow, Michelle Lamblin and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Contemporary clinical trials communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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

16 authors.

Samuel McKayOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Christina NgOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Jennifer NicholasOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Vivienne BrowneOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Gina ChinneryOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Isabella ChoiSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Bailey Nation-IngleSuicide Prevention and Response Office, Victorian Department of Health, Victorian Government, Australia.
Kristal AlisonSuicide Prevention and Response Office, Victorian Department of Health, Victorian Government, Australia.
Ella PerlowSuicide Prevention and Response Office, Victorian Department of Health, Victorian Government, Australia.
Michelle LamblinOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Elise CarrotteOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Ellie BrownOrygen, Parkville, Australia.
Gregory ArmstrongCentre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Jocelyn I MezaDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Madhavan ManiCentre for Digital Transformation of Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Jo RobinsonOrygen, Parkville, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

International students face elevated risk for mental health problems and suicide, yet encounter multiple barriers to accessing timely and culturally responsive treatments. Key challenges include high rates of psychological distress, low mental health literacy, and reduced help-seeking, often compounded by perceived burdensomeness, a lack of belonging, and difficulties with emotion regulation. Bud is a self-guided, co-designed mobile app developed to address these challenges through an accessible digital intervention. This paper outlines a protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness, acceptability, engagement, and safety of Bud among international students enrolled at Australian tertiary institutions. The trial also includes an internal pilot phase to ensure the feasibility of the trial procedures, with benchmarks for recruitment, retention, and engagement. A community sample of 302 participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (Bud app) or the active control group (online mental health fact sheets) for four weeks. Assessments will be completed online at baseline, two weeks, and four weeks post-baseline. The primary outcome is psychological distress, with secondary outcomes including help-seeking intentions, perceived burdensomeness and belonging, emotion regulation, mental health literacy, and suicidal ideation. Acceptability and engagement will be assessed using self-report and objective measures. Interviews will be conducted with a subset of 20 participants to explore their views on Bud further. This trial will provide the first evaluation of a suicide prevention tool specifically for international students. If effective, Bud could offer a scalable and culturally relevant solution to improve student mental health and reduce service access barriers. Trial registration: ACTRN12625000584437.

Indexed as

Digital interventionsInternational studentsMental healthSuicide prevention

Identifiers

PMID41403474
PMCPMC12703851

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.