Evaluating the JoyPop Mobile App to Support Emotion Regulation in Indigenous Youth Ages 12 to 17 Waiting for Mental Health Services in Northwestern Ontario

What this Trial Is About

Indigenous youth aged 12 to 17 in Northwestern Ontario who need mental health support often face longer waits than their non-Indigenous peers and youth in urban areas. These delays can worsen symptoms, increase distress, and raise risks for severe outcomes like suicide and hospitalization. Researchers, in partnership with Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, are studying the JoyPop mobile mental health app to help improve emotion regulation, a common challenge in youth with mental health issues, while they wait for services. The study is a two-arm randomized controlled trial comparing the JoyPop app plus usual wait-list monitoring to usual wait-list monitoring alone. Participants in the JoyPop group will use the app at least twice daily for four weeks, alongside regular phone check-ins. Those in the usual practice group will be monitored by phone and offered the app after four weeks. The trial will assess changes in emotion regulation and other mental health symptoms during this period. Participants will complete assessments at the start, after two weeks, and after four weeks, including questionnaires measuring emotion regulation, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, stress, and treatment readiness. Researchers will monitor app usage, mental health changes, and health service use. The total participation time is four weeks of app use and monitoring during the wait for mental health services, with data collected virtually or in person.

JoyPop Mobile Mental Health App With Indigenous Youth