An interventional study of Behavioral Activation in Suicide Ideation and Depressed, sponsored by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-09.
Sponsored by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a behavioral activation intervention designed for adults hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit. The intervention includes two connected components: (1) a brief inpatient behavioral activation group delivered during hospitalization by unit staff (which is delivered to everyone as part of standard clinical care and not considered part of the study) and (2) a smartphone application that supports behavioral activation skills practice during the first 28 days after discharge.
Behavioral activation is a psychological treatment that aims to increase engagement in meaningful and rewarding activities and reduce patterns of avoidance that can worsen mental health symptoms. The intervention was designed specifically for the short length of stay and group-based structure typical of psychiatric inpatient care in the United States.
Participants will be recruited from an adult inpatient psychiatric unit at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.
The study uses an open trial design where there is no control group. Participants in the intervention condition will receive the behavioral activation group plus access to the smartphone application after discharge.
Participants will complete self-report assessments during hospitalization and throughout a 6-month follow-up period. During the first 28 days after discharge, participants will also complete smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments multiple times per day. Outcomes include depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, functioning, behavioral activation, emergency department visits, psychiatric readmission, outpatient treatment engagement, and intervention feasibility and acceptability.
The current study is a hybrid type I implementation-effectiveness trial evaluating a multimodal behavioral activation intervention for adults receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment. The intervention was developed to address two major gaps in acute psychiatric care in the United States: limited access to evidence-based psychotherapy during hospitalization and limited support during the transition from inpatient to outpatient care. The intervention combines a brief inpatient behavioral activation group delivered by unit staff as part of standard care during hospitalization, supplemented with a smartphone-based digital intervention designed to support behavioral activation skills practice during the first 28 days after discharge.
Behavioral activation is an evidence-based psychological treatment that seeks to increase engagement in adaptive and rewarding activities while reducing patterns of avoidance associated with emotional distress and psychiatric symptoms. The intervention was specifically adapted for the structure of contemporary inpatient psychiatric care in the United States, including short lengths of stay, high patient turnover, and reliance on group-based treatment delivered by multidisciplinary staff with varying levels of formal psychotherapy training. The intervention was also designed to be transdiagnostic and appropriate for patients with a range of psychiatric disorders commonly treated in inpatient settings.
The inpatient component is flexible but generally consists of four stand-alone behavioral activation group sessions focused on activity planning, values identification, problem-solving, and reducing avoidance behaviors. Sessions are designed so that patients may benefit regardless of admission timing or number of sessions attended. Following discharge, participants will use a smartphone application that includes ecological momentary assessment prompts, behavioral activation skill reminders, activity planning tools, activity monitoring, and access to psychoeducational materials consistent with the inpatient group content. The application is intended to support behavioral activation skill implementation during participants' transition back into their daily environments
290 studies on the registry are indexed under Consciousness Disorders; 109 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 47 across 191 interventional studies indexed under Consciousness Disorders.
Browse Consciousness Disorders studies →Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is the lead sponsor of 506 studies on the registry; 131 are open to participants now.
Of its 39 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 31 (79%) have results posted.
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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.
The intervention consists of a mobile app that allows skills practice after discharge, which maps on to the behavioral activation content delivered during the inpatient stay.
Behavioral: Behavioral Activation
This intervention has a mobile app that corresponds to the treatment received during the inpatient stay, which has not been done before.
Behavioral activation measured using the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS)
The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) is a self-report measure assessing engagement in goal-directed and rewarding activities, avoidance behaviors, and functional impairment associated with depression. Scores on the activation subscale and total scale will be used to assess changes in behavioral activation over time. Higher activation scores indicate greater engagement in adaptive activities, whereas higher avoidance scores indicate greater behavioral avoidance.
Time frame: From enrollment until the end of the three-month follow-up period
Depressive symptoms measured using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression Scale
The PROMIS Depression Scale is a self-report measure assessing negative mood, decreased positive affect, and other symptoms associated with depression. Scores are converted to standardized T-scores, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptom severity. Changes in PROMIS Depression scores across the follow-up period will be compared between study conditions.
Time frame: From enrollment until the end of the three-month follow-up period
Suicide-related cognitions measured using the Suicide Cognitions Scale (SCS)
The Suicide Cognitions Scale (SCS) is a self-report measure assessing maladaptive beliefs and cognitive patterns associated with suicide risk, including hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, helplessness, and beliefs about emotional unchangeability. Higher scores indicate greater endorsement of suicide-related cognitions associated with elevated suicide risk. Changes in SCS scores over time will be compared between study conditions.
Time frame: From enrollment until the end of the three-month follow-up period
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