Completed

Project SOLVE: A School-based Trial of a Universal Single-session Digital Problem-solving Intervention for Adolescent Mental Health

What is being tested

Project SOLVE

+ Project SUCCESS

Other

Who is being recruted

Anxiety Disorders+2

+ Behavior

+ Mental Disorders

From 10 to 14 Years

+8 Eligibility Criteria

See all eligibility criteria

How is the trial designed

Prevention Study

Interventional

Study Start: March 2021

See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorHarvard University

Last updated: January 28, 2026

Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: March 15, 2021

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

More than 20% of adolescents will experience at least one mental health disorder or problem before adulthood that warrants treatment, yet 80% of these adolescents will never receive care. This need-to-access gap appears to be heightened during the current coronavirus disease pandemic and its resulting disruptions to healthcare and education systems. Both within and beyond the context of the pandemic, preventive mental health interventions are positioned to help adolescents build and strengthen coping strategies that can preclude the emergence of mental health difficulties that require more resource-intensive levels of clinical care. Preventive mental health interventions delivered via digital platforms and within school-based settings might be especially scalable. The current school-based trial is designed to test one such strategy that harnesses technology to boost the scalability of adolescent mental health interventions: a brief (one 30 minute session) digital program designed to empower adolescents (10-14 years old) to solve, rather than be overwhelmed by, everyday problems (Project SOLVE). Single-session interventions designed to help adolescents cultivate adaptive mindsets have reduced anxiety and depression among adolescents with and without elevated symptoms of these disorders. Building on this strong foundation, Project SOLVE targets these mental health challenges with problem solving skills-one of the most versatile, commonly used, and potent therapeutic techniques for adolescents.

Official TitleProject SOLVE: A School-based Trial of a Universal Single-session Digital Problem-solving Intervention for Adolescent Mental Health

NCT04806321

Principal SponsorHarvard University

Last updated: January 28, 2026

Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

Design Details

522 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Prevention Study

Prevention studies aim to stop a disease from developing. They often involve people at risk and test things like vaccines, lifestyle changes, or preventive medications.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Conditions

Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

From 10 to 14 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

Anxiety DisordersBehaviorMental DisordersBehavioral SymptomsDepression

Criteria

5 inclusion criteria required to participate

Adolescent is in grades 6-8 (inclusive) at partnering schools

Adolescent is between the ages of 10-14 years (inclusive) at the time of study enrollment

Adolescent and at least one guardian consent to adolescent participation in study

Adolescent reads English well enough to effectively complete the digital programs

Show More Criteria

3 exclusion criteria prevent from participating

Adolescent is non-English speaking, as the programs are only available in English

Adolescent does not have access to a digital device

Adolescent has an intellectual disability that precludes comprehension of the program content

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.

Treatment Groups

Study Objectives

2 intervention groups are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group

Treatment Groups

Group I

Experimental

This program is self-guided, digital, and approximately 30 minutes in length. Content is designed to help adolescents solve, rather than be overwhelmed by, everyday problems. The program includes: (1) An introduction to problem solving; (2) Testimonials from "valued others" (older adolescents; celebrities) describing their use of problem solving skills; (3) Evidence from studies that our brains are capable of problem solving and that problem solving can be helpful; and (4) Activities designed to enable adolescents to practice sequential problem solving using a few steps (SOLVE Steps).

Group II

Active Comparator

This program is self-guided, digital, and approximately 30 minutes in length. Content is designed to help adolescents improve their study skills. This program includes: (1) An introduction to study skills; (2) Testimonials from "valued others" describing their use of study skills; (3) Description of helpful and commonly used study skills (e.g., note-taking); and (4) Activities designed to encourage adolescents to practice these skills in their daily lives.

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

Harvard University

Cambridge, United StatesOpen Harvard University in Google Maps

CompletedOne Study Center