Recruiting

EA-Avatar & AppPreliminary Trial of an Avatar Guided Digital Intervention for Emerging Adults

Sponsor:

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Code:

NCT07418047

Conditions

Binge Alcohol Consumption

Suicidal Ideation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 29

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

EA-Avatar

Suicide safety planning app

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a novel digital avatar (virtual coach) support program can help emerging adults ages 18-29 who present to the emergency department with suicidal thoughts and alcohol misuse (EA-Avatar). The study also aims to learn whether people find the program easy to use and whether daily surveys and the study design are able to be completed by the majority of emerging adult participants.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

Do participants use the digital program and find it helpful?
Is it possible for participants to complete daily surveys for twenty-eight days and follow-up surveys over twelve weeks?
Are there early signs that the program may help lower alcohol use and suicidal thoughts?

Researchers will compare participants who receive the new digital avatar program plus supportive text messages to participants who receive a freely available suicide safety planning app to see if there are differences in use, engagement, and early signs of benefit.

Participants will:

Receive standard care from the emergency department
Be randomly put into one of two groups (EA-Avatar or a free suicide prevention app)
Depending on their group, use a new avatar-guided digital support program with text message reminders OR use a free suicide safety planning app
Complete surveys at the start of the study and again at four, eight, and twelve weeks
Complete short daily surveys for twenty-eight days

Conditions

Binge Alcohol Consumption

Suicidal Ideation

Study ID

NCT07418047

Start date

Jun 10, 2026

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Aug 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 29

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

(1) emergency department admission for alcohol- or suicide-related reason since turning 18, OR treated for incidental suicide risk in the emergency department
(2) aged 18-29
(3) speak, read, and understand English
(4) binge drinking in the past month OR alcohol use problems (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score > 5)
(5) active suicidal ideation in the past month
(6) owning and having access to a personal smartphone
(7) willingness to be randomized to an avatar guided intervention for alcohol use problems and suicidal thoughts OR a freely available suicide safety planning app
(8) for remote MyChart-based recruitment only, have MyChart activated

Exclusion Criteria:

(1) severe cognitive delay, active psychosis, or heavy intoxication that precludes research participation
(2) imminent safety risk and have been recently unsafe to themselves or others
(3) prisoner or are under arrest
(4) not interested or not willing to be randomized to receive the avatar-guided digital intervention or safety plan app
(5) under the care of a legal guardian

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Avatar guided digital health intervention for emerging adults (EA-Avatar)

The avatar-guided digital intervention includes monitoring of alcohol use and triggers of suicidal thoughts, skills to manage alcohol use and suicidal thoughts, resources on how to access outpatient care and crisis hotlines for suicidal thoughts, and achievements for milestones. In addition, text messages with inspirational quotes and reminders to access the avatar platform are used to support engagement and foster hope. They are also given any emergency department care and/or follow-up and referral services they would otherwise receive and can continue any other behavioral health care.

active comparator: Suicide safety plan app

Participants are given information to download a freely available suicide safety planning app. They are also given any emergency department care and/or follow-up and referral services they would otherwise receive and can continue any other behavioral health care.

Interventions

EA-Avatar

Suicide safety planning app

A publicly available suicide safety planning app which includes guidance on creating a Stanley-Brown Safety Plan, including warning signs, things users can do on their own when feeling suicidal, people who can distract them, people who can support them, professionals or organizations who can support them, and reasons for living.

Primary outcome measure

Acceptability as defined by positive ratings on the WAI-TECH-SF [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
Feasibility of research protocols, defined as follow-up retention [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
Feasibility of research protocols, defined as adherence to the ecological momentary assessment/daily diary protocol [ Time Frame: 28 days ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

UMass Memorial Health - Marlborough Hospital

Recruiting

Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States, 01752

Contacts

Lourah M Kelly, PhD

508-948-8973 lourah.kelly@umassmed.edu

UMass Memorial Health - University Campus

Recruiting

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, 01545

Contacts

Lourah M Kelly, PhD

508-948-8973 lourah.kelly@umassmed.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Last update posted

Aug 3, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Keywords

suicidal ideation
binge drinking
emerging adults
feasibility
emergency department
digital health

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Massachusetts, Worcester on 2026-08-03.