Video game aims to lift depression in teens with HIV
NCT ID NCT06389565
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 07, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This pilot study tests a mobile game called Change My Story, designed to help young people (ages 16-24) living with HIV who also have depression. The game uses a choose-your-own-adventure format to teach coping skills, and is combined with problem-solving therapy. Researchers will compare this combo to therapy alone in 80 participants in Nigeria, measuring engagement, satisfaction, and whether depression improves.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Change My Story (narrative game) plus Problem Solving Therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a low-cost, stigma-free way to improve mental health and HIV outcomes for young people in low-resource settings.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study (80 people) testing feasibility and satisfaction, not yet effectiveness. The game may not engage users or improve depression more than therapy alone.
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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2026
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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16 to 29 years
- 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: * HIV-positive * age 16-29 years * self-reported proficiency in reading and understanding English. * PHQ9 score of 9-17 and impairment in functioning (consistent with clinical depression) Exclusion Criteria: * pregnant or nursing * in care and on ART for \<6 months * history of- or positive assessment for- bipolar or psychotic disorder.
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Ibadan
RECRUITINGIbadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
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