Can a smartphone app ease anxiety in older adults? new study aims to find out
NCT ID NCT05754151
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing a mobile app called MAYA that teaches cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to help older adults manage anxiety and depression. About 60 participants aged 40 and older with an anxiety or depressive disorder will use the app for at least 20 minutes, twice a week, for six weeks. Researchers will measure how acceptable and feasible the app is, and whether symptoms improve.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MAYA mobile app (cognitive behavioral therapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a convenient, app-based tool to help older adults manage anxiety and depression symptoms at home.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early feasibility study with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The app requires an iPhone and regular use, which may not suit all users.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
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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40 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: * Age 40 or older * Primary diagnosis of an anxiety or depressive disorder as determined by a clinical severity rating score of 4 or greater on the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS). * Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) no more than 1 SD below the mean score for patient's age and education. If the remote version of the MMSE is used (e.g. during an evaluation on Zoom), the remote MMSE score will be converted to a standard MMSE score. * Access to an Apple iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Exclusion Criteria: * Lifetime diagnosis of a bipolar or psychotic disorder. * Currently in cognitive behavior therapy. * Change in dose of a psychiatric medication in the past 12 weeks. * Initiation of psychotherapy in the past 12 weeks. * Intent or plan to attempt suicide.
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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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Weill Cornell Medicine
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10065, United States
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