Can online therapy help smokers kick the habit and ease stress?
NCT ID NCT06575673
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tests whether an internet-based program teaching dialectical behaviour therapy skills can help adult smokers in Hong Kong quit or reduce smoking while also improving their psychological distress. Sixty participants will be randomly assigned to either the online skills training or monthly health education. The study will check if the program is feasible and acceptable, and measure smoking abstinence and emotional well-being.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- internet-based dialectical behaviour therapy-informed skills training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new online tool to help smokers with emotional distress quit more successfully.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 60 participants, so results may not apply widely. The intervention is behavioural, not a drug, and may not work for everyone.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2025
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 to 64 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Hong Kong Chinese aged 18-64 years * Had smoked at least one cigarette per day over the previous three months * Indicate psychological distress as measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 * Have an intention to stop smoking * Have an electronic device and are willing to receive interventions via the internet Exclusion Criteria: * Experiencing psychotic disorders/cognitive impairment/communication problems * Participating in other smoking cessation programs or related psychosocial interventions
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Smoking are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Hospital Authority
RECRUITINGTai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong
-
Hospital Authority
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGHong Kong, Hong Kong
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Texts and wearables team up to help latinos quit smoking and get moving
- Gum fluid proteins eyed as link between smoking and periodontitis
- Which wound dressing best protects knee replacements?
- Could a child's doctor visit spark a parent's quit-smoking journey?
- Can sleep patterns explain racial gaps in smoking cravings?
- Brain training on your phone may curb cigarette cravings — a trial puts it to the test