Talking it out: CBT may ease anxiety for teens after scoliosis surgery
NCT ID NCT05774002
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a short course of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can reduce anxiety and pain in teenagers recovering from scoliosis surgery. About 45 teens aged 10–19 will receive either standard care or CBT sessions (plus a mobile app) before and after their operation. Researchers will track changes in anxiety, depression, and pain using questionnaires over the first two months after surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions and a mobile app
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a simple, drug-free way to help teens feel less anxious and cope better with pain after scoliosis surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (45 participants) testing a behavioral intervention, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy adds extra appointments, which some teens may find burdensome.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2023
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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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10 to 19 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: * Diagnosis of scoliosis prior to age 20 * Healthy, non-obese aged 10-19 years, with a diagnosis of idiopathic scoliosis, undergoing elective posterior spinal fusion Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of scoliosis after age 20 * Permanent cognitive impairment * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Use of opioids in the last 6 months * Liver or renal diseases and developmental delays
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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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Montefiore Medical Center
RECRUITINGThe Bronx, New York, 10467, United States
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