WellbeingNCT07247149
Testing a Novel Attention Based Training Prevention Strategy for First Responders: FirstFocus a Mobile App
A study testing Attention Bias Modification in people with Wellbeing, run by Palo Alto University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
First responders are frequently exposed to high-stress and traumatic events, putting them at increased risk for mental health challenges such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Wellbeing
- What is being tested?
- Attention Bias Modification
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Nov 2025to 1 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18 or older
- Employed as an Active First Responder
- iPhone mobile device
- Located in a rural part of the US
Who cannot join
- Works less than 20 hours/week on average
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Testing a Novel Attention Based Training Prevention Strategy for First Responders: FirstFocus a Mobile Appt
First responders are frequently exposed to high-stress and traumatic events, putting them at increased risk for mental health challenges such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Access to traditional mental health services is often hindered by stigma, time constraints, and a lack of tailored resources. Mobile app-based interventions offer a promising solution due to their accessibility and potential to address mental health proactively and in a time sensitive way. Attention training has emerged as a simple way to prevent distress and the emergence of future mental health concerns. The proposed research will test a mobile app: FirstFocus which will leverage targeted attention training to prevent stress/distress during shifts and enhance the wellbeing of rural first responders. The specific aims are to (1) test the feasibility and acceptability of FirstFocus as an intervention for rural first responders; (2) to test the short-term preventative efficacy of attention training on state stress/distress and its longer-term efficacy for improving professional quality of life and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Conditions
- Wellbeing
- Being tested
- Attention Bias Modification
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Attention Bias ModificationBehavioural
Attention training involves 80 training trials. The task uses words developed specifically for this study with fear words such as "crash" and "car" and neutral words such as "couch" and "can" that are balanced for length and frequency. Additionally, on every trial the location of the probe is the same as the location of the fear word. Participants press the button corresponding to the direction of the probe. The training takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Training Baseline Start | Experimental | Participants in this arm will begin ABM at the start of the study. Receives: Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification |
| Attention Training Week 1 Start | Experimental | Participants in this arm will begin ABM 1 week after the start of the study. Receives: Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification |
| Attention Training Week 2 Start | Experimental | Participants in this arm will begin ABM 2 weeks after the start of the study. Receives: Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification |
| Attention Training Week 3 Start | Experimental | Participants in this arm will begin ABM 3 weeks after the start of the study. Receives: Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire
The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire - 8 item version (CSQ-8; Nguyen et al., 1983) will assess participant satisfaction with the FirstFocus app at the 60-day assessment. The CSQ-8 yields a total score ranging from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
Secondary outcomes (5)
Stress Reduction (visual analogue scale)
Current stress will be assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale for Stress, administered daily before and after each shift. Participants rate their stress on a 0-100 scale, where 0 = no stress and 100 = extreme stress. Higher scores indicate greater stress.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
Professional Quality of Life
The Professional Quality of Life Scale, Version 5 (ProQOL-5) assesses compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Each subscale yields a score from 10 to 50, with higher Compassion Satisfaction scores reflecting better outcomes, and higher Burnout or Secondary Traumatic Stress scores reflecting worse outcomes. Administered weekly on login.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Symptoms of depression
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke et al., 2001) assesses depressive symptoms over the past week. Total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms. Administered monthly on login.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Symptoms of anxiety
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006) assesses anxiety symptoms over the past week. Total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety. Administered monthly on login.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Stress
The Perceived Stress Scale - 10 item version (PSS-10; Cohen et al., 1983) assesses perceived stress over the past week. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress levels. Administered monthly on login.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Nov 2025
- Study start15 Nov 2025
- Primary completion1 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for WellbeingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Palo Alto University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mikael Rubin, Palo Alto University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07247149
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2025-024-PAU
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 19 Nov 2025
- Last updated
- 5 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All deidentified outcomes will be shared at the time of publication.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing a Novel Attention Based Training Prevention Strategy for First Responders: FirstFocus a Mobile Appt
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07247149
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2025-024-PAU
- Conditions
- Wellbeing
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Palo Alto UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
First responders are frequently exposed to high-stress and traumatic events, putting them at increased risk for mental health challenges such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Access to traditional mental health services is often hindered by stigma, time constraints, and a lack of tailored resources. Mobile app-based interventions offer a promising solution due to their accessibility and potential to address mental health proactively and in a time sensitive way. Attention training has emerged as a simple way to prevent distress and the emergence of future mental health concerns. The proposed research will test a mobile app: FirstFocus which will leverage targeted attention training to prevent stress/distress during shifts and enhance the wellbeing of rural first responders. The specific aims are to (1) test the feasibility and acceptability of FirstFocus as an intervention for rural first responders; (2) to test the short-term preventative efficacy of attention training on state stress/distress and its longer-term efficacy for improving professional quality of life and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Training Baseline Start | Experimental | Behavioral: Attention Bias ModificationParticipants in this arm will begin ABM at the start of the study. |
| Attention Training Week 1 Start | Experimental | Behavioral: Attention Bias ModificationParticipants in this arm will begin ABM 1 week after the start of the study. |
| Attention Training Week 2 Start | Experimental | Behavioral: Attention Bias ModificationParticipants in this arm will begin ABM 2 weeks after the start of the study. |
| Attention Training Week 3 Start | Experimental | Behavioral: Attention Bias ModificationParticipants in this arm will begin ABM 3 weeks after the start of the study. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Age 18 or older
- Employed as an Active First Responder
- iPhone mobile device
- Located in a rural part of the US
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Works less than 20 hours/week on average
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Bias ModificationAttention training involves 80 training trials. The task uses words developed specifically for this study with fear words such as "crash" and "car" and neutral words such as "couch" and "can" that are balanced for length and frequency. Additionally, on every trial the location of the probe is the same as the location of the fear word. Participants press the button corresponding to the direction of the probe. The training takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. | Behavioural | Attention Training Baseline Start, Attention Training Week 1 Start, Attention Training Week 2 Start, Attention Training Week 3 Start |
Primary outcome
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire - 8 item version (CSQ-8; Nguyen et al., 1983) will assess participant satisfaction with the FirstFocus app at the 60-day assessment. The CSQ-8 yields a total score ranging from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
5 secondary outcomes
Stress Reduction (visual analogue scale)
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.
Professional Quality of Life
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Symptoms of depression
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Symptoms of anxiety
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Stress
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Dec 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All deidentified outcomes will be shared at the time of publication.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Attention Bias Modification in people with Wellbeing, run by Palo Alto University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Dec 2025.