RecruitingOBSERVATIONAL

Assessment of Daily Stressors in Children With Depressive Symptoms for the Development of a Gamified Emotion Regulation App

This project is creating a new, fun app to help children aged 8-12 who are experiencing symptoms of depression or have been diagnosed with depression. The app will use games and everyday situations to teach children coping skills for their emotions. Before building the app, the researchers want to hear directly from children and their parents. They are conducting interviews and using questionnaires to understand what daily worries children face, how they currently deal with them, and what kind of support parents and children find most useful. This direct feedback will help ensure the app is truly helpful and meets the needs of the children it's designed for. This research is part of a larger effort to provide easy-to-access support for young people's mental health.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Sponsor

Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich

Enrolment target

Start

02 Sep 2025

Estimated completion

01 Dec 2026

Depressive Disorder Depression in Children Depressive Symptoms

What is this study about?

Feeling down or depressed is quite common among young people in the UK. Sometimes, these feelings can make everyday life difficult. This research project is exploring a new way to help children aged 8 to 12 who might be struggling with these feelings: through a fun, game-like app. The main idea behind the app is to help children learn skills to manage their emotions better when they feel stressed or sad. Being able to understand and cope with feelings is a really important skill for growing up and staying mentally healthy.

Because there can sometimes be long waits for support and appointments, digital tools like apps are becoming more and more important. They can offer a way to get help discreetly and at home. This particular app won't replace professional help, but it's designed to work alongside it, giving children extra tools to use. Before they even start building the app, the researchers want to make sure it's as helpful as possible.

That's why this part of the study is all about listening. Researchers want to talk to children who experience depression symptoms and their parents. They're keen to understand what daily challenges these children face, how these challenges make them feel, and how they usually try to deal with them. Parents will also share their thoughts on their child's emotional challenges and what kind of support they think would be most useful. All this information will be used to design an app that truly fits the needs and experiences of the children it's meant to help.

Key takeaways

This study helps design a new app for children (8-12) with depression.
It focuses on understanding children's daily worries and coping methods.
Children will have interviews; parents will join group discussions.
The goal is to create a fun, game-based app for emotion skills.
Participation helps shape future support for young people.
No medication or use of the app is involved at this stage.

Who may be eligible?

This study is looking for children aged between 8 and 12 years old. To take part, children need to be experiencing symptoms of depression, which will be checked using special questionnaires completed by the child themselves or their parents. They also need to be able to speak German.

However, some children might not be suitable for the study. This includes those who are having thoughts of harming themselves, or who have been diagnosed with certain other serious health conditions like schizophrenia or severe developmental problems. Also, children whose emotional difficulties are mainly caused by drug or alcohol use would not be included.

Parents of children who fit the inclusion criteria for the study will also be asked to take part. Your child would need to meet the requirements for you to be included as a parent.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Is your child aged between 8 and 12 years old?
Does your child experience symptoms of depression?
Does your child speak German well enough to have a conversation?
Is your child NOT having thoughts of harming themselves?
Does your child NOT have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a severe developmental disorder?
Are you the parent of a child who meets these criteria?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

In this study, you and your child would first complete some questionnaires to see if your child meets the criteria for taking part. If eligible, your child would then have a one-on-one chat (called a semi-structured interview) with a researcher. This chat would focus on your child's feelings and daily experiences, like what makes them sad or stressed, and how they cope. For parents, there will be group discussions (focus groups) with other parents, where you can share your thoughts on your child's emotional challenges and what help you find useful. The study doesn't involve any medication or follow-up appointments, and there's no app to use yet. The total amount of time taking part would be just for these interviews/discussions, not for long-term involvement. The study is gathering information to develop an app later, not testing an app itself.

Potential risks and benefits

There are no direct medical benefits for taking part in this stage of the study as you won't be receiving a treatment. However, by sharing your or your child's experiences, you'll be directly helping to shape a new app that could potentially support many other children struggling with depression in the future. Some children might find talking about their feelings a little difficult, but the researchers are experienced and will make sure it's a supportive environment. You and your child are entirely free to withdraw from the study at any point without giving a reason, and it won't affect any current or future care. Your decision to take part is completely voluntary.

Locations (1)

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital
Verified postcode
München, Germany· Recruiting

Common questions

What is the study trying to achieve?

The study aims to gather information from children and parents to help design a new app that will teach coping skills to children with depression symptoms.

Will my child use an app if we join this study?

No, not yet. This study is the first step, where researchers are learning what's needed for the app. The app itself will be developed later.

Will I or my child have to take any medicine?

No, this study does not involve any medication whatsoever. It's about talking and sharing experiences.

How long will my child and I need to be involved?

Your involvement would be for a short period, just for the interviews or group discussions to share your thoughts, not for long-term participation.

Will our answers be kept private?

Yes, all your answers will be confidential and used only for research purposes, helping to develop the app.

How to find out more

Lisa Feldmann, Dr.

lisa.feldmann@med.uni-muenchen.de +49 (0)89 4400 56920 Official trial record

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