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Chatbot therapy could help students beat insomnia and boost mental health

NCT ID NCT07711769

Symptom relief Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 17, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This pilot study tests whether a nurse-led digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I), delivered through a chatbot on WhatsApp, can help university students with mild to moderate anxiety or depression. Participants will complete a two-week daily sleep diary via the chatbot and receive personalized sleep advice. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible, acceptable, and potentially effective in reducing insomnia symptoms and improving quality of life.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a chatbot-based digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I) delivered via WhatsApp, plus a 2-week daily sleep diary
What this could lead to
If effective, this approach could offer a scalable, accessible way to improve sleep and mental health in university students.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study focused on feasibility, so results may not confirm effectiveness. The chatbot-based delivery may not suit all students.

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

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

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Oct 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Students aged ≥ 18 years from 22 local higher education institutions (University or Colleges) listed in Education Bureau. * Screening score indicating mild to moderate anxiety or depression, defined as a GAD-7 score of 5-14 and/or a PHQ-9 score of 5-14 at baseline. * Screened positive for insomnia symptoms using the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI) and meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder. * Reporting a self-reported sleep efficiency of less than 85% over the past month. * Able to communicate in Chinese. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who self-reported diagnosis of epilepsy, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder * Participants who self-reported current suicidal ideation with intent or a suicide attempt within the past 2 months * Participants who self-reported current receipt of psychological or behavioral treatment for insomnia from a health professional * Participants who self-reported participation in an online or digital insomnia treatment programme at the time of enrolment.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety depressive disorder insomnia Psychological Well-Being

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Mental health

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, 18/F, Metro South Tower 1, 39 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

    Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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