Emotional RegulationREACTNCT07789314
Just-in-Time Coping Prompts for Reactive Digital Behavior in College Students
A study testing Momentary coping prompt in people with Emotional Regulation and Alcohol Drinking in College, run by University of Florida at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study looks at the moments when college students feel a strong emotional swing, and how those moments relate to reacting online when upset, drinking alcohol, and eating in response to emotions. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 22 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Emotional Regulation, Alcohol Drinking in College, Emotional Eating
- What is being tested?
- Momentary coping prompt
- 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
- 21 Sep 2026to Aug 2027
- 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 to 22 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Currently enrolled University of Florida student
- Age 18 years or older
- Owns a smartphone used daily
- Willing to wear a wrist-worn device and complete brief check-ins several times daily for approximately five weeks
Who cannot join
- Varsity student-athlete governed by the university athletic association
- Unable to complete study procedures in English
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida, 32611
Yonghwan Chang, PhD, 352-294-1664, yhchang@ufl.edu
Yonghwan Chang, PhD
About this study
Official title: REACT: A Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention to Reduce Reactive Digital Behavior in College Students
This study looks at the moments when college students feel a strong emotional swing, and how those moments relate to reacting online when upset, drinking alcohol, and eating in response to emotions. Participants wear a wrist device and answer brief check-ins on their phone several times a day for five weeks in total, starting with a 1-week run-in. During the following 4 weeks, a study app sometimes sends a short coping message at moments when the wrist device and check-ins suggest emotions are shifting quickly. Whether a message is sent at any given moment is decided at random, and the study compares what participants do in the short window afterward. The study is a pilot designed to test whether the approach is feasible and to estimate how large its effects are.
Read the detailed description
REACT is a five-week micro-randomized trial in University of Florida students age 18 and older. Participants complete a baseline battery, wear a Garmin Venu 3, and respond to five to six smartphone check-ins per day. Week one is a no-prompt run-in that establishes each participant's own baseline distribution of momentary affective variability, indexed by the mean square of successive differences on consecutive affect ratings. From week two through week five, the app evaluates up to six decision points per day. A decision point is flagged when the participant's current variability exceeds their own 80th percentile threshold, computed within person rather than against a group average. At each available decision point the app randomizes with probability 0.5 whether to deliver a brief coping message, and if so selects a message type from those eligible in that context. Availability rules exclude sleep, stale device data, a 60-minute cooldown, a daily cap, and any safety override. Proximal outcomes are drawn from the first check-in within two hours after the decision point. Analysis uses weighted and centered least squares to estimate causal excursion effects, with pre-specified moderators.
- Being tested
- Momentary coping prompt, Active control message
- Keywords
- just-in-time adaptive intervention, micro-randomized trial, ecological momentary assessment, wearable sensor, emotional volatility, college students
- Medical subject headings
- Emotional Regulation, Alcohol Drinking in College, Emotional Eating, Aggression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Momentary coping promptBehavioural
A single short message of one to three sentences delivered to the participant's smartphone at a randomized decision point, taking roughly fifteen to thirty seconds to read. Messages apply cognitive-behavioral techniques including thought records, perspective-taking, decatastrophizing, cost-benefit checks, implementation intentions, and behavioral redirection, or acceptance-based techniques including cognitive defusion, acceptance, values anchoring, urge surfing, and present-moment grounding. Delivery is capped at four messages per day with a minimum sixty-minute interval and is confined to participant-set waking hours. Messages may be dismissed without responding.
Active control messageBehavioural
A brief neutral acknowledgment message matched to the coping messages on delivery mechanism and approximate length, containing no coping technique or behavioral suggestion.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Coping prompt delivered | Experimental | Decision points at which the randomization outcome is to deliver a brief cognitive-behavioral or acceptance-based coping message. Message type is selected at random from those eligible in the participant's current context. Every participant contributes decision points to this condition. Receives: Behavioral: Momentary coping prompt |
| No coping prompt or active control message | Active comparator | Decision points at which the randomization outcome is not to deliver a coping message. A brief neutral, non-directive acknowledgment message may be delivered as an active control so that receiving any message can be separated from receiving a coping message. Every participant contributes decision points to this condition. Receives: Behavioral: Active control message |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Momentary urge to post or reply reactively, score on a 7-point scale.
Self-reported urge to post or reply about something upsetting, rated 1 to 7 at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point. Higher scores indicate greater urge. Analyzed as a causal excursion effect comparing decision points at which a coping message was delivered with those at which it was not.
Measured: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Momentary urge to drink alcohol, score on a 7-point scale.
Self-reported current urge to drink alcohol, rated 1 to 7 at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point. Higher scores indicate greater urge. Analyzed as a causal excursion effect.
Measured: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Momentary emotional influence on eating, score on a 7-point scale.
Self-reported rating of how much emotions influenced eating since the previous check-in, rated 1 to 7 at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point. Analyzed as a causal excursion effect.
Measured: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Secondary outcomes (9)
Momentary reactive online behavior since the previous check-in, self-reported occurrence
Self-reported occurrence of posting or replying while upset since the previous check-in, reported yes or no at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point.
Measured: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Number of standard drinks consumed since the previous check-in, self-reported count
Self-reported number of standard drinks consumed since the previous check-in.
Measured: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Loss-of-control eating rating, score on a 7-point scale
Self-reported sense of losing control while eating since the previous check-in, rated 1 to 7.
Measured: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5
Proportion of scheduled check-ins completed
Number of completed check-ins divided by number of scheduled check-ins. Pre-registered feasibility benchmark is 75 percent.
Measured: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Proportion of delivered prompts receiving a response
Number of prompts receiving a rating response divided by number of prompts delivered. Pre-registered benchmark is 60 percent.
Measured: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Proportion of waking hours with valid wearable data
Hours of valid physiological data divided by estimated waking hours. Pre-registered benchmark is 80 percent.
Measured: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Proportion of enrolled participants retained to study end.
Number of participants completing the study divided by number enrolled. Pre-registered benchmark is 85 percent.
Measured: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Prompt helpfulness rating, score on a 7-point scale
Participant rating of how helpful the coping prompts were, rated 1 to 7.
Measured: Week 3 and end of study, approximately week 5.
System Usability Scale total score.
System Usability Scale (Brooke, 1996) total score, range 0 to 100, higher scores indicating better usability.
Measured: End of study, approximately week 5.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Aug 2026
- Study start21 Sep 2026
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionAug 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Emotional RegulationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of FloridaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Micro-randomized trial. Each participant is repeatedly randomized at decision points across four weeks of randomized prompts after a 1-week run-in, so every participant contributes observations under both conditions rather than being assigned to a single group for the duration. At each available decision point, randomization with probability 0.5 determines whether a coping message is delivered; when a message is delivered, its type is selected at random from those eligible in that context. Approximately one hundred available randomized decision points are expected per participant. Crossover assignment is selected because it is the closest available model to a within-person repeated randomization design.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Florida
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Yonghwan Chang, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Florida
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07789314
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB202600940
- Other IDs
- 00135244
- Acronym
- REACT
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 21 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared outside the research team. This is a pilot study collecting sensitive behavioral and biological data from a small identifiable campus population, and the informed consent does not provide for external sharing of individual-level data. Aggregate results will be published.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 21 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- REACT: A Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention to Reduce Reactive Digital Behavior in College Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07789314
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- REACT / IRB202600940
- Keywords
- just-in-time adaptive intervention, micro-randomized trial, ecological momentary assessment, wearable sensor, emotional volatility, college students
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of FloridaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 21 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Aug 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 27 Aug 2026 (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.
This study looks at the moments when college students feel a strong emotional swing, and how those moments relate to reacting online when upset, drinking alcohol, and eating in response to emotions. Participants wear a wrist device and answer brief check-ins on their phone several times a day for five weeks in total, starting with a 1-week run-in. During the following 4 weeks, a study app sometimes sends a short coping message at moments when the wrist device and check-ins suggest emotions are shifting quickly. Whether a message is sent at any given moment is decided at random, and the study compares what participants do in the short window afterward. The study is a pilot designed to test whether the approach is feasible and to estimate how large its effects are.
Detailed description
REACT is a five-week micro-randomized trial in University of Florida students age 18 and older. Participants complete a baseline battery, wear a Garmin Venu 3, and respond to five to six smartphone check-ins per day. Week one is a no-prompt run-in that establishes each participant's own baseline distribution of momentary affective variability, indexed by the mean square of successive differences on consecutive affect ratings. From week two through week five, the app evaluates up to six decision points per day. A decision point is flagged when the participant's current variability exceeds their own 80th percentile threshold, computed within person rather than against a group average. At each available decision point the app randomizes with probability 0.5 whether to deliver a brief coping message, and if so selects a message type from those eligible in that context. Availability rules exclude sleep, stale device data, a 60-minute cooldown, a daily cap, and any safety override. Proximal outcomes are drawn from the first check-in within two hours after the decision point. Analysis uses weighted and centered least squares to estimate causal excursion effects, with pre-specified moderators.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Micro-randomized trial. Each participant is repeatedly randomized at decision points across four weeks of randomized prompts after a 1-week run-in, so every participant contributes observations under both conditions rather than being assigned to a single group for the duration. At each available decision point, randomization with probability 0.5 determines whether a coping message is delivered; when a message is delivered, its type is selected at random from those eligible in that context. Approximately one hundred available randomized decision points are expected per participant. Crossover assignment is selected because it is the closest available model to a within-person repeated randomization design.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Coping prompt delivered | Experimental | Behavioral: Momentary coping promptDecision points at which the randomization outcome is to deliver a brief cognitive-behavioral or acceptance-based coping message. Message type is selected at random from those eligible in the participant's current context. Every participant contributes decision points to this condition. |
| No coping prompt or active control message | Active comparator | Behavioral: Active control messageDecision points at which the randomization outcome is not to deliver a coping message. A brief neutral, non-directive acknowledgment message may be delivered as an active control so that receiving any message can be separated from receiving a coping message. Every participant contributes decision points to this condition. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 22 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Currently enrolled University of Florida student
- Age 18 years or older
- Owns a smartphone used daily
- Willing to wear a wrist-worn device and complete brief check-ins several times daily for approximately five weeks
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Varsity student-athlete governed by the university athletic association
- Unable to complete study procedures in English
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Momentary coping promptA single short message of one to three sentences delivered to the participant's smartphone at a randomized decision point, taking roughly fifteen to thirty seconds to read. Messages apply cognitive-behavioral techniques including thought records, perspective-taking, decatastrophizing, cost-benefit checks, implementation intentions, and behavioral redirection, or acceptance-based techniques including cognitive defusion, acceptance, values anchoring, urge surfing, and present-moment grounding. Delivery is capped at four messages per day with a minimum sixty-minute interval and is confined to participant-set waking hours. Messages may be dismissed without responding. | Behavioural | Coping prompt delivered |
| Active control messageA brief neutral acknowledgment message matched to the coping messages on delivery mechanism and approximate length, containing no coping technique or behavioral suggestion. | Behavioural | No coping prompt or active control message |
Primary outcome
Momentary urge to post or reply reactively, score on a 7-point scale.
Time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Self-reported urge to post or reply about something upsetting, rated 1 to 7 at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point. Higher scores indicate greater urge. Analyzed as a causal excursion effect comparing decision points at which a coping message was delivered with those at which it was not.
Momentary urge to drink alcohol, score on a 7-point scale.
Time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Self-reported current urge to drink alcohol, rated 1 to 7 at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point. Higher scores indicate greater urge. Analyzed as a causal excursion effect.
Momentary emotional influence on eating, score on a 7-point scale.
Time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Self-reported rating of how much emotions influenced eating since the previous check-in, rated 1 to 7 at the first check-in within two hours after a randomized decision point. Analyzed as a causal excursion effect.
9 secondary outcomes
Momentary reactive online behavior since the previous check-in, self-reported occurrence
Time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Number of standard drinks consumed since the previous check-in, self-reported count
Time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.
Loss-of-control eating rating, score on a 7-point scale
Time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5
Proportion of scheduled check-ins completed
Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Proportion of delivered prompts receiving a response
Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Proportion of waking hours with valid wearable data
Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Proportion of enrolled participants retained to study end.
Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 5 weeks per participant.
Prompt helpfulness rating, score on a 7-point scale
Time frame: Week 3 and end of study, approximately week 5.
System Usability Scale total score.
Time frame: End of study, approximately week 5.
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 21 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data will not be shared outside the research team. This is a pilot study collecting sensitive behavioral and biological data from a small identifiable campus population, and the informed consent does not provide for external sharing of individual-level data. Aggregate results will be published.
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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.
Yonghwan Chang, PhD principal investigator
University of Florida
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Momentary coping prompt in people with Emotional Regulation and Alcohol Drinking in College, run by University of Florida 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 2 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Oct 2026. 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?
Contact Yonghwan Chang, PhD (352-294-1664, smashresearchlabs@hhp.ufl.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Momentary urge to post or reply reactively, score on a 7-point scale. (time frame: Within 2 hours after each randomized decision point, across weeks 2 to 5.). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. 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 21 Oct 2026.