Supplementing Inpatient Behavioral Activation Group Psychotherapy

This study will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a behavioral activation intervention designed for adults hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit. The intervention includes two connected components: (1) a brief inpatient behavioral activation group delivered during hospitalization by unit staff (which is delivered to everyone as part of standard clinical care and not considered part of the study) and (2) a smartphone application that supports behavioral activation skills practice during the first 28 days after discharge. Behavioral activation is a psychological treatment that aims to increase engagement in meaningful and rewarding activities and reduce patterns of avoidance that can worsen mental health symptoms. The intervention was designed specifically for the short length of stay and group-based structure typical of psychiatric inpatient care in the United States. Participants will be recruited from an adult inpatient psychiatric unit at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. The study uses an open trial design where there is no control group. Participants in the intervention condition will receive the behavioral activation group plus access to the smartphone application after discharge. Participants will complete self-report assessments during hospitalization and throughout a 6-month follow-up period. During the first 28 days after discharge, participants will also complete smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments multiple times per day. Outcomes include depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, functioning, behavioral activation, emergency department visits, psychiatric readmission, outpatient treatment engagement, and intervention feasibility and acceptability.

NCT Number	NCT07611916
Lead Sponsor	Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Conditions	Suicide Ideation, Depressed
Enrollment	30 participants
Start Date	2026-04-22
Primary Completion	2026-10-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-04-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-07-09