An interventional study of Mobile Self-Management Program integrated with Positive Psychology and Behavioral Activation in Stress (Psychology), sponsored by The Catholic University of Korea. Completed at 1 site in South Korea. Open to participants aged 19 Years to 34 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-08.
Sponsored by The Catholic University of Korea · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a mobile self-management program that combines Positive Psychology (PP) and Behavioral Activation (BA) helps reduce stress in young adults in South Korea. It will also examine how the program affects depression, anxiety, and resilience.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the program lower stress levels in young adults with high stress?
Does the program improve other aspects of mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and resilience?
Researchers will compare the mobile program to a wait-list control group to see if the program works to improve stress management.
Participants will:
Be randomly assigned to either the program group or a wait-list control group
Use the mobile program for 4 weeks with guided activities, followed by 4 weeks of self-directed use
Complete surveys at the start, week 2, week 4, and week 8 about their stress, depression, anxiety, and resilience
The Catholic University of Korea is the lead sponsor of 155 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive a mobile self-management intervention that integrates Positive Psychology and Behavioral Activation. The program includes 4 weeks of guided sessions followed by 4 weeks of self-directed use.
Behavioral: Mobile Self-Management Program integrated with Positive Psychology and Behavioral Activation
Participants do not receive the intervention during the first 8 weeks but are offered access to the program after the study period.
The mobile self-management program consisted of a 4-week guided intervention phase followed by a 4-week self-directed period to encourage continued use. The guided phase was organized around weekly objectives: (1) experiencing positive affect, (2) identifying personal strengths, (3) applying strengths in daily life, and (4) planning a positive future. Program activities included emotional check-ins, gratitude journaling, mindfulness practice, positive behavioral tasks, and goal setting. During the self-directed phase (Weeks 5-8), participants selected from 10 recommended activities tailored to their strengths, promoting sustained engagement and self-management. The program integrated Positive Psychology and Behavioral Activation strategies to reduce stress, enhance resilience, and foster positive behavioral change.
Stress at Week 8
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
Time frame: Week 8
Stress at Baseline
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
Time frame: Baseline
Stress at Week 2
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
Time frame: Week 2
Stress at Week 4
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
Time frame: Week 4
Depression (PHQ-9) at Baseline
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
Time frame: Baseline
Depression (PHQ-9) at Week 2
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
Time frame: Week 2
Depression (PHQ-9) at Week 4
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
Time frame: Week 4
Depression (PHQ-9) at Week 8
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
Time frame: Week 8
Anxiety (GAD-7) at Baseline
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
Time frame: Baseline
Anxiety (GAD-7) at Week 2
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
Time frame: Week 2
Anxiety (GAD-7) at Week 4
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
Time frame: Week 4
Anxiety (GAD-7) at Week 8
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
Time frame: Week 8
Resilience ( BRS) at Baseline
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
Time frame: Baseline
Resilience (BRS) at Week 2
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
Time frame: Week 2
Resilience (BRS) at Week 4
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
Time frame: Week 4
Resilience (BRS) at Week 8
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
Time frame: Week 8
| Milestone | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 92 | 87 |
| 2week | 68 | 80 |
| 4week | 53 | 75 |
| 8week | 49 | 72 |
| Completed | 49 | 72 |
| Not completed | 43 | 15 |
| Withdrew: Lost to follow-up | 43 | 15 |
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Stress at Baseline | 22.64 ± 5.82 | 19.76 ± 3.64 |
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Stress at Week 2 | 20.57 ± 5.78 | 19.00 ± 3.98 |
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Stress at Week 4 | 20.08 ± 6.62 | 18.71 ± 4.00 |
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Depression (PHQ-9) at Baseline | 10.21 ± 5.89 | 9.24 ± 5.42 |
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Depression (PHQ-9) at Week 2 | 8.34 ± 5.44 | 8.51 ± 5.63 |
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Depression (PHQ-9) at Week 4 | 7.72 ± 5.91 | 7.95 ± 5.36 |
Stress was measured using the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale - 10 items (PSS-10). The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. Although the scale does not provide a standardized cut-off, prior studies have used a score of 14 or higher to define moderate-to-high levels of stress, and this threshold was applied in the present study.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Stress at Week 8 | 19.41 ± 6.20 | 18.35 ± 4.05 |
Depression was assessed using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Depression (PHQ-9) at Week 8 | 8.37 ± 6.38 | 7.69 ± 5.50 |
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety (GAD-7) at Baseline | 8.20 ± 5.75 | 7.68 ± 4.88 |
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety (GAD-7) at Week 2 | 6.88 ± 5.65 | 7.13 ± 5.23 |
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety (GAD-7) at Week 4 | 6.43 ± 5.61 | 7.03 ± 5.21 |
Anxiety was measured using the Korean version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7). The GAD-7 consists of seven items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), assessing symptom frequency over the past two weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety (GAD-7) at Week 8 | 7.63 ± 6.11 | 6.36 ± 4.87 |
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Resilience ( BRS) at Baseline | 15.24 ± 5.06 | 17.79 ± 1.71 |
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Resilience (BRS) at Week 2 | 15.37 ± 5.10 | 17.59 ± 1.76 |
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Resilience (BRS) at Week 4 | 16.06 ± 5.68 | 17.87 ± 1.93 |
Resilience was assessed using the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The BRS consists of six items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
| score on a scale | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control |
|---|---|---|
| Resilience (BRS) at Week 8 | 16.14 ± 5.87 | 17.54 ± 1.85 |
Collected over From enrollment until completion of the 8-week study period.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | 0/92 (0%) | 0/92 (0%) | 0/92 (0%) |
| Wait-list Control | 0/87 (0%) | 0/87 (0%) | 0/87 (0%) |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 92 | 87 | 179 |
| >=65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 27.85 ± 4.16 | 27.46 ± 4.42 | 27.66 ± 4.28 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 79 | 72 | 151 |
| Male | 13 | 15 | 28 |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants) | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of participants | — | — | 0 |
| Region of Enrollment(Participants) | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 92 | 87 | 179 |
| Stress(units on a scale) | Intervention Group | Wait-list Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 22.64 ± 5.82 | 19.76 ± 3.64 | 21.24 ± 5.08 |
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: No — The study's informed consent form restricts use of data to this research only. Therefore, IPD will not be shared with other researchers.
Ran from Sep 2023 to primary completion in Dec 2024, 15 months.
Results were first posted in Jan 2026, 1 year after primary completion.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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