Can a phone app explain why depression hits girls harder in puberty?
NCT ID NCT06072677
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how sex hormones during puberty might affect mood differently in boys and girls. Researchers are testing a 4-week smartphone training program called Healthy Minds Program in 60 adolescents aged 11-14. The goal is to understand the brain and hormone changes that could explain why depression rates rise more in girls during this time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Healthy Minds Program (smartphone-based training)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal why depression rates differ between boys and girls during puberty, pointing toward sex-specific prevention strategies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (60 participants) focused on understanding mechanisms, not testing a treatment. Results may not apply to all teens.
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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Aug 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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11 to 14 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * Between the ages of 11 and 14 * Have their own personal mobile device and capability to download the MyCap and Healthy Minds apps * Experienced a stressful life event within the last year, or endorse moderate depression (defined by a CES-DC score 16 or higher) Exclusion Criteria: * Previous experience with the Healthy Minds Program * Regular meditation practice * Current or history of manic episodes, psychotic symptoms, or current suicidal intent * Taking any form of exogenous hormones or intrauterine device (IUD) within one month of participation in the study * Taking medications that directly alter cardiovascular or neurological function
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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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Carolina Crossing B, Suite 1
RECRUITINGChapel Hill, North Carolina, 27517, United States
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