RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Psychological Adjustment to Long-term (PAL) Physical Conditions: A Randomised Cross-over Feasibility Trial of a Self-guided App

This study is looking at a new smartphone app called Orbi. It's designed to help people in the UK who live with long-term health conditions and are also feeling anxious or low. Orbi uses ideas from a type of talking therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you adjust and feel better. This study aims to find out if Orbi is easy to use and helpful. Participants will try either the Orbi app alongside usual charity support, or just the usual charity support, for 12 weeks. Then they'll swap to the other option for another 12 weeks. Researchers want to understand what people like and dislike about both the app and being part of the study.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

King's College London

Enrolment target

Start

10 Jun 2025

Estimated completion

01 May 2026

Depression, Anxiety Chronic Disease

What is this study about?

Living with a long-term health condition can be tough, and sometimes it can lead to feelings of anxiety or sadness. This study is exploring a new way to offer support using an app called Orbi. Orbi is a smartphone app that uses helpful techniques based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which is a type of talking therapy that helps you understand how your thoughts and feelings affect your actions. The app is designed to help you cope better with your long-term health condition and improve your overall well-being.

The main goal of this study is to see if Orbi is a useful and easy-to-use tool for people in the UK who are dealing with distress related to their health condition. We want to know if people find the app helpful and what parts of it they like or don't like. This will help us understand if Orbi could be a good option for wider use in the future.

To find this out, we're comparing Orbi with the kind of support you might already get from charities that help with long-term conditions, like helplines. By comparing these two options, we can learn more about how Orbi works in practice and whether it helps people feel better. Your feedback is really important in shaping how support for long-term conditions might look in the future.

Key takeaways

This study explores a new app (Orbi) to help with anxiety/depression related to long-term health conditions.
Orbi uses talking therapy (CBT) principles available on your smartphone.
Participation involves 24 weeks, trying both Orbi with charity support and charity support alone.
You'll complete questionnaires at key times to share how you're feeling.
Your involvement helps shape future support for people with similar challenges.
You can stop participating at any time.

Who may be eligible?

This study is looking for adults aged 18 or over who live in the UK and are registered with a GP. You need to be comfortable using a computer and have an email address, as the app is for smartphones.

You should also have a long-term physical health condition and be experiencing some distress related to it, like feeling anxious or down. This study is not for people who are currently receiving active psychological therapy from a professional like a counsellor, or those with very severe mental health conditions, substance dependency, or significant memory problems.

To make sure the study is safe and right for you, there will be some simple questions to check if you're eligible. For example, if you score above a certain level on questions related to severe depression or anxiety, or have specific suicidal thoughts, this study might not be suitable as you may need different, more immediate support.

Quick self-check

Are you 18 years old or older?
Do you live in the UK and have a GP?
Do you have a long-term physical health condition?
Are you feeling anxious or down because of your health condition?
Are you comfortable using a smartphone and have an email address?
Are you NOT currently having regular talking therapy with a professional?

This is a guide only — the research team will confirm whether you can take part.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to join this study, your journey will last for 24 weeks in total. First, you'll be randomly assigned to one of two groups, like flipping a coin. You'll have an equal chance of being in the group that uses the Orbi app plus gets usual charity support, or the group that just gets usual charity support. You'll stay in this first group for 12 weeks.

After these 12 weeks, you'll then switch over to the other group for a further 12 weeks. So, everyone gets a chance to experience both options. Throughout the study, at the beginning, after 6 weeks, and again after 12 weeks, you'll be asked to fill out some questionnaires. These help us understand how you're feeling and how you're engaging with the support you're receiving.

Some people in the study might also be invited to have a chat (an interview) with the researchers. This is optional and would be a chance to talk more about your experiences with Orbi and being part of the study. There are no medications involved in this study.

Potential risks and benefits

Taking part in this study could offer you a new way to manage feelings of anxiety or low mood related to your long-term condition through the Orbi app, or access to established charity support. You'll also be contributing valuable information that could help improve support for others in the future. As with any study, there's always a chance the intervention might not feel right for you, or you might find some questionnaires take a little time. We screen participants carefully to minimise any potential distress. You are completely free to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your usual care.

Locations (1)

Health Psychology Department, King's College London
London, United Kingdom· Recruiting

Common questions

What is Orbi?

Orbi is a smartphone app designed to help people with long-term physical conditions manage feelings of stress, anxiety, or low mood, using techniques from talking therapy.

What is 'Cognitive Behavioural Therapy' (CBT)?

CBT is a type of talking therapy that helps you understand how your thoughts and feelings affect your behaviour, and gives you tools to make positive changes.

Will I have to pay for the app?

No, if you are part of the study and assigned to the Orbi group, you will not have to pay for the app.

What is 'usual charity support'?

This refers to the standard help and advice you can get from charities related to your long-term health condition, often including helplines by phone or email.

What if I feel worse during the study?

The study carefully checks for severe distress. If you feel worse, you should always contact your GP or usual support services. You can also leave the study at any time.

How to find out more

Rona Moss-Morris, PhD

rona.moss-morris@kcl.ac.uk +44 (0)20 7188 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.