Recruiting

AI Exposure Therapy

Sponsor:

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Code:

NCT07237607

Conditions

Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge-Eating Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 12 - 26

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

"Exp-ED" Digital Exposure-Therapy Chatbot app

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this study is to develop and refine an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders chatbot web-app that effectively engages adolescents and young adults and decreases anxiety about weight gain. Participants will use the web-app as a supplemental therapeutic tool during their first six weeks of treatment in a Partial Hospitalization Program. Participants will complete assessments every two weeks, including: (1) semi-structured interviews about their experience with the chatbot web-app; (2) implementation outcome measures (e.g., feasibility, usability, acceptability); and (3) anxiety about weight gain.

Conditions

Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge-Eating Disorder

Study ID

NCT07237607

Start date

Mar 23, 2026

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Jun 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 12 - 26

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age is between or equal to 12-26 years
  • Admitted to the Penn State Health Eating Disorder Partial Hospital Program (PHP) or Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
  • Have a personal smartphone
  • Have a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)
  • Be English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
  • Have acute suicidality
  • Diagnosis of an intellectual disability

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: "Exp-ED" Digital Exposure-Therapy Chatbot app

Exp-ED will target anxiety about weight gain through an exposure based treatment.

Interventions

"Exp-ED" Digital Exposure-Therapy Chatbot app

Exp-ED is a text-based digital health application designed for smartphones and personal computers. It provides exposure-based content to adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. The chatbot guides users through exposure exercises (structured steps to reduce anxiety over time), records subjective distress ratings (self-reported anxiety scores), and offers evidence-based coping prompts. These sessions are intended to supplement clinical care during a six-week partial hospitalization program.

Primary outcome measure

  • Number of times participants use web-app. [ Time Frame: End of Week 2, End of Week 4, End-of-Treatment (Week 6) ]
  • Number of minutes participants engage with the web-app. [ Time Frame: End of Week 2, End of Week 4, End-of-Treatment (Week 6) ]
  • Percent of eligible Adolescents and Young Adults Consented [ Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year ]
  • System Usability Scale Survey (SUS) [ Time Frame: End of Week 2, End of Week 4, End-of-Treatment (Week 6) ]
  • Weight Gain Anxiety Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Baseline, End of Week 2, End of Week 4, End-of-Treatment (Week 6) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Jamal H Essayli, PhD

(717) 531-0003jessayli@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

Locations

Penn State College of Medicine

Recruiting

Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033

Contacts

Jamal H Essayli, PhD

717-531-0003jessayli@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Last update posted

Apr 15, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center on 2026-04-15.