Could finding meaning ease depression and anxiety?
NCT ID NCT07714954
First seen Jul 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a six-session online program that helps young adults explore meaning in life can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants are randomly assigned to either the program or a waitlist. The goal is to see if building a sense of purpose improves mental health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a meaning-centered behavioral intervention: six one-hour online sessions exploring personal life story, dealing with life's limitations, creating one's own life, and meaningful experiences
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this could offer a new, non-drug approach to help young adults manage depression and anxiety by boosting their sense of purpose.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial comparing the intervention to a waitlist, so results may not generalize. The effect may be modest or not last beyond the study period.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 140 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * heightened internalizing symptoms (depression and/or anxiety symptoms) as indicated by PHQ-4 score of 2 or above on either the anxiety or depression subscale Exclusion Criteria: * receiving psychotherapeutic treatment for a depressive or anxiety disorder * suicidality
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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