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Ecological Momentary Intervention (E-Breathing) to Reduce Psychological Distress in Adolescents
Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Summary
A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to test a mobile-based intervention, E-breathing, for early detection and intervention to address psychological distress in at-risk adolescents in Hong Kong. E-breathing harnesses the science of real-time, in-situ assessment approach - Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) - to capture the psychological symptoms and needs of adolescents. Based on the real-time data collected via smartphone, the mobile application prompts the practice of slow-paced breathing as an Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) to reduce psychological distress. This RCT will recruit a total of 100 participants who will be randomly allocated to either (1) an intervention group (EMI group), where they will receive a feedback prompt when they score high on negative affect (i.e., E-breathing) or (2) the control group (EMA group), where they will only complete EMAs without feedback. This project aims to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of E-breathing in improving psychological symptoms in Hong Kong adolescents. This project also examine the underlying physio-mechanisms of the effects of E-breathing on psychological outcomes in this target population.
Official title: Effect of Slow-Paced Breathing Via Ecological Momentary Intervention on Reducing Psychological Distress in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
11 Years - 17 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
100
Start Date
2026-10-01
Completion Date
2027-05-31
Last Updated
2026-07-21
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Slow-paced breathing via ecological momentary intervention
The EMA core survey measures seven negative affect (e.g., irritated, sad, ruminating) and six positive affect (e.g., cheerful, relaxed, content). Response options for these items are on a 7-point scale. The application will program to send out these core items 5 times per day. In addition to completing EMAs, the EMI group will receive prompts to practice slow-paced breathing during the 2-week trial period. After completing each EMA core survey, the mHealth platform will automatically analyze the EMA data and notify participants who reported high negative affect (mean score ≥ 3) to voluntarily slow down their breathing rate. Specifically, participants will be required to breathe at a rate of 6 respiratory cycles per minute, using nasal breathing, with a 1: 1 ratio of inspiratory: expiratory duration. During each practice, the participants will be instructed to assume a relaxed position, close their eyes, and passively ignore distracting thoughts while engaging in repetitive breathing
Ecological momentary assessments
The EMA core survey measures seven negative affect (e.g., irritated, sad, ruminating) and six positive affect (e.g., cheerful, relaxed, content). Response options for these items are on a 7-point scale. The app will program to send out these core items 5 times per day.
Locations (1)
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Kowloon, Hong Kong