This project contains the manuscript and raw preliminary data for the stage 1 registered report "Cognitive, affective and behavioural effects of temporal comparison with prior aversive experiences in individuals with social anxiety" Hosted on the Open Science Framework

Abstract. While there is extensive literature exploring the possible negative effects of video games, and many such studies using college student samples, there is little research on how video game...

Task decisions and confidence ratings are fundamental measures in metacognition research, but using these reports requires collecting them in some order. Only three orders exist and are used in an ad hoc manner across studies. Evidence suggests that when task decisions precede confidence, this report order can enhance metacognition. If verified, this effect pervades studies of metacognition and will lead the synthesis of this literature to invalid conclusions. In this Registered Report, we tested the effect of report order across popular domains of metacognition and probed two factors that may underlie why order effects have been observed in past studies: report time and motor preparation. We examined these effects in a perception experiment (n = 75) and memory experiment (n = 50), controlling task accuracy and learning. Our registered analyses found little effect of report order on metacognitive efficiency, even when timing and motor preparation were experimentally controlled. Our findings suggest the order of task decisions and confidence ratings has little effect on metacognition, and need not constrain secondary analysis or experimental design.

Displaying high effort at work is rewarded with more positive moral judgments (effort moralization effect) and increased cooperation partner attractiveness. This holds, even if higher effort is unrelated to better performance. Yet, current evidence is exclusively based on males, mostly situated in the work context. This prohibits generalization to the full population and neglects critical aspects of our lives, such as the care context (e.g., unpaid care for elders). To address this gap, we conducted two Studies (Study 1: Nwork = 859, Study 2: Ncare = 701) testing the effect between genders and contexts—work and care. Study materials featured two actors performing the same task, requiring different levels of effort (high/low). Participants rated the actor’s morality, suggested hourly salary, and reported their satisfaction to cooperate with them as assigned partners. The results confirmed the effort moralization effect in work contexts but were mixed for the care context, potentially due to the inherently moral nature of the behavior. There were no gender differences, supporting the demographic generalizability of the effect. Effort did not influence suggested pay, and participants expressed greater satisfaction with low-effort actors as assigned cooperation partners. While further research is needed to explore the boundary conditions of effort moralization in different contexts, the findings support its role as a robust heuristic for moral judgment in the work context.

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Objective: The study's principal aim was to explore the usefulness of the Harmful Dysfunction Analysis (HDA) in identifying individuals with pathological social media use (PSMU) and potentially other behavioral addictions as an alternative to using DSM-5-TR-based diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders (SUD) or research criteria for internet gaming disorder (GD). Method: Using Swiss data (N = 7,510) from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study 2018, we tested weaker (HDA1) and stronger (HDA2) HDA versions. We examined differences between HDA cases and non-cases, convergence between different scoring methods, and between groups differences distinct to each scoring method (i.e., non-overlapping cases) on measures of physical health (physical activity and body mass index) and mental health (psychosomatic health, life satisfaction, school well-being), with models adjusted for age, gender, migration status, and family affluence. Data from Hungary (N = 3,789) was selected to repeat the analysis as a sensitivity investigation. Results: SUD-based scoring yielded the highest PSMU prevalence of 33.2% while GD-based prevalence was 9%. HDA1 and HDA2 scorings yielded PSMU prevalence of 22.2% and 4.2%, respectively. HDA1-based PSMU cases showed poorer physical and mental health than non-cases with differences of small-to-medium effect size, whereas HDA2 differences were of large effect size. SUD-based cases that overlapped with HDA scoring showed worse physical and mental health than non-overlapping SUD-based cases. Non-overlapping GD and HDA cases showed no significant differences on validators that survived the sensitivity evaluation. Conclusions: HDA may reduce PSMU prevalence while preserving conceptual and clinical validity. The more demanding HDA2 approach exhibited more convincing validator results than HDA1. From the HDA perspective, substantial SUD-based cases were false positives whereas GD-based scoring produced both false positives and negatives. Our findings suggest that further examination of HDA for advancing the conceptualization of addictive disorders is warranted.

In hundreds of articles published over the past two decades, nanoparticles have been described as probes for sensing and imaging of a variety of intracellular cytosolic targets. However, nanoparticles generally enter cells by endocytosis with only a small fraction reaching the cytosol. Most of those articles do not describe the mechanisms of nanoparticles entry into the cell and therefore the paradox of sensing a target in the cytosol when most particles do not access that compartment remains. To address this paradox, we are initiating a replication project of some of the most influential articles in this field with the aim of confirming their ability to detect their targets and getting additional insights into their intracellular localisation. This article is a pre-registered report for the second replication of this project, namely the replication of Seferos et al ‘Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells’. To achieve our aim, we will carry out both a direct replication of the experiments in the original article, with the addition of some experiments and controls (in particular optical and electron microscopy). We hope that this study will contribute to a better understanding of the intracellular fate of nanoparticles and, with the help of the scientific community, help set standards in the design and reporting of studies in this field.

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

One of the key areas in the scientific programs of addictive behaviors is the research on measurement. In the present study, we focus on the survey measurement of gaming disorder. In particular, we tested the gambling hypotheses: whether survey studies on gaming disorder are potentially contaminated by gambling behavior data and thus do not reflect actual gaming behaviors. A systematic review of survey materials among the most cited studies (N=500) provided confirmatory evidence for a systematic error in the literature. The majority of research in the field is contaminated by a measurement error stemming from conceptual confusion. This problem is linguistic and does not concern all languages to the same degree. Additionally, we surveyed English (n=312) and Slovak (n=319) people to explore further reasons for the error. Exploration revealed various terminological confusions in both languages. For instance, half of the participants (EN=48.7%/SK=59.1%) interpreted “gambling” to also refer to “gaming”, including offline gambling like poker (EN=68.6%/SK=62.5%). Meanwhile, the majority interpreted offline activities like board games (EN=50.3%/SK=62%) to be gaming too. The findings suggest that the systematic measurement error is unlikely to be easily correctable through self-report instructions, as people interpret gaming and gambling in many inconsistent ways. We recommend gaming disorder research to seek alternatives to survey data.

Presented by OSF

Functional connectivity is frequently used to assess dynamic brain functioning and predict individual differences in behavioral outcomes, such as psychopathology. Inferences from functional connectivity analyses typically rely on group-averaged model statistics. However, heterogeneity between individuals may lead to group-level models that poorly reflect each individual. Poor individual-level precision may limit the ability to make individual-level predictions, which is necessary for key goals such as clinical translation. This registered report examined between-person heterogeneity in resting-state functional connectivity strength patterns by assessing similarity between group- and individual-level connectivity models in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Using intraclass correlation coefficients, we found that a group-averaged region-of-interest-based connectivity model was a poor reflection of every individual. In contrast, a group-averaged model of between- and within-network connectivity was a good representation of most individuals. We then examined how individual-level distinctness from the group moderated predictive performance of several clinical and neurocognitive scales. Hypotheses that group-to-individual dissimilarity would worsen behavioral prediction were not supported with primary clinical outcomes. The little psychopathology reported in this sample was a notable limitation. In contrast, lower similarity to the group worsened prediction of performance on the pattern comparison test, providing minor support for hypotheses. Overall, results suggest that region-of-interest-based functional connectivity networks are highly heterogeneous and group-based models are inappropriate for individual-level inferences, but that network-based connectivity is largely similar across individuals. Additionally, we provide minor evidence of the impacts of heterogeneity on prediction that future studies should build on.

Editors' Summary: This Replication Study has reproduced some parts of the original paper but it also contains results that are not consistent with other parts of the original paper.

Background: Providing informal care to persons with dementia (PWD) living at home can be challenging and lead to experience of caregiver stress and depression. Interventions delivered through mobile applications (apps) provide innovative solutions for community-based social care professionals to address the increasing support needs of family caregivers (FCs) to PWD. Objective: This study aimed to examine, among FCs to PWD living at home, a) the potential association between professional support provided through a mobile app and caregiver stress and depressive symptoms; b) types of support provided through chat interaction between FCs and social care professionals; c) how provision of support provided through a mobile app relates to changes in caregiver stress and depressive symptoms. Methods: A mixed-methods pilot study was conducted integrating quantitative pre- and post-intervention data and qualitative logged chat data. FCs to PWD living at home (n=35) were recruited to test a tailor-made mobile app over eight weeks. The outcome measures were caregiver stress (primary) and depressive symptoms (secondary). Descriptive statistics were used to describe socio-demographic factors. Inferential statistics were used to analyse mean differences in the outcome measures pre- and post-intervention. FCs were divided into three groups based on changes in caregiver stress scores between pre- and post-intervention. Generalized linear models (GLM) analyses were used to determine the association between participation in the intervention on caregiver stress and depressive symptoms, controlling for age, gender and relationship to the PWD. Logged chat data was analysed using summative content analysis to identify types of support provided and received. Changes in caregiver stress were integrated with the chat data to determine patterns in the types of support received. Results: The mean age of the FCs was (69.4), with most being women (80%), partners (68.6%) and living together with the PWD (74%). The mean score of FCs' caregiver stress was marginally higher post-intervention (24.1, SD 9.3) compared to pre-intervention (23.9, SD 9.2), while the mean score of their depressive symptoms declined between pre- (6.5, SD 5.1) and post-intervention (6.2, SD 5.2). These differences were not statistically significant. Regression analyses showed that participation in the intervention was not statistically significantly associated with caregiver stress (β=0.171, α=.05, P=.862) or depressive symptoms (β= -0.293, α=.05, P=.745) after adjusting for age, gender and relationship to the PWD. However, mixed-methods analysis at the sub-group level, suggests that frequently provided tailored support by social care professionals delivered through a mobile app potentially can reduce caregiver stress among FCs to PWD living at home. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of providing frequent and tailor-made support to meet the individual needs of FCs to PWD. The findings from this study can help community-based social care providers plan and organize the content of digital support provided for FCs to PWD living at home.

Presented by OSF

We present a programmatic research line to test whether a longitudinal intervention aiming to increase key psychological correlates of pro-environmental behavior motivates young adults to take climate action. In five longitudinal studies, we will test and optimize a six-week, in-person intervention, exposing participants to interactive lessons and activities that were developed from existing psychological theories and interventions. The goal is to increase pro-climate behavior by leveraging 12 psychological correlates such as beliefs, attitudes and affect. Before and after the intervention, participants will complete surveys measuring the psychological correlates, and also report individual and collective pro-climate behaviors via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Each study will include a control group. The psychological correlates and behavior will be measured again after three months to assess the medium-term effectiveness of the intervention. The results and participant feedback from each study will be used to update the intervention for the following studies. Each study will target young adults at different life stages (studying or working) across two countries (Italy and the Netherlands). The longitudinal design, the intensive manipulations and EMA’s ecological validity are uniquely capable of revealing causal evidence that changes in beliefs, attitudes and affect lead to climate action across age groups and cultures. Hosted on the Open Science Framework

Schnall, Benton, and Harvey (2008) hypothesized that physical cleanliness reduces the severity of moral judgments. In support of this idea, they found that individuals make less severe judgments wh...

Background: Concerns have been expressed about the abundance of new clinical prediction models (CPMs) proposed in the literature. The extent of this proliferation in prediction research, however, remains unclear. Objective: To estimate the total and annual number of CPM development publications available for all medical fields. Methods: Using a validated search strategy, we conducted a systematic search for prediction model studies published in Pubmed and Embase between 1995 and the end of 2020. By taking random samples for each year, we identified eligible studies that developed a multivariable model (diagnostic or prognostic) for individual-level prediction of a health outcome across all medical fields. Exclusion criteria included the development of models with a single predictor, studies not concerning humans, methodological studies, conference abstracts, articles with unavailable full text, and studies not available in English. Next, we estimated the total and annual number of published regression-based multivariable CPM development articles, based on the total number of publications, proportion of included articles and search sensitivity. Furthermore, we used an adjusted Poisson regression to extrapolate our results to years 1950-2024. Additionally, we estimated the number of articles developing non-regression-based CPMs. Results: From a random sample of 10,660 articles published between 1995 and 2020, 109 regression-based CPM development articles were included. We estimated that 82,772 (95%CI: 65,313-100,231) CPM development articles using regression were published, with an acceleration in model development from 2010 onward. With the addition of articles that used other techniques than regression (e.g., machine learning), the number rose to 147,714 (125,201-170,226). After extrapolation to 1950-2024, numbers increased to 156,673 and 248,431 for regression-based models and all models, respectively. Conclusions: Based on a representative sample of publications from the literature, we estimate that close to 250,000 articles reporting the development of clinical prediction models for all medical fields have been published until 2024. CPM development publication is ever increasing. To prevent research waste and to close the gap between research and clinical practice, focus should shift away from developing new CPMs to facilitating model validation and impact assessment of the plethora of available CPMs. Limitations of this study include restriction of search to articles available in English and development of the validated search strategy prior to the popularity of artificial intelligence and machine learning models.

Background: Falls are a prevalent and serious health condition among older people in residential aged care facilities, causing significant health and economic burdens. However, the likelihood of future falls can be predicted, and thus, falls can be prevented if appropriate prevention programs are implemented. Current fall prevention programs in residential aged care facilities rely on risk screening tools with suboptimal predictive performance, leading to significant concerns regarding resident safety. Objective: This study aimed to develop a predictive, dynamic dashboard to identify residents at risk of falls with associated decision support. This paper provides an overview of the technical process, including the challenges faced and the strategies used to overcome them during the development of the dashboard. Methods: A predictive dashboard was co-designed with a major residential aged care partner in New South Wales, Australia. Data from resident profiles, daily medications, fall incidents, and fall risk assessments were used. A dynamic fall risk prediction model and personalized rule-based fall prevention recommendations were embedded in the dashboard. The data ingestion process into the dashboard was designed to mitigate the impact of underlying data system changes. This approach aims to ensure resilience against alterations in the data systems. Results: The dashboard was developed using Microsoft Power BI and advanced R programming by linking data silos. It includes dashboard views for those managing facilities and for those caring for residents. Data drill-through functionality was used to navigate through different dashboard views. Resident-level change in daily risk of falling and risk factors and timely evidence-based recommendations were output to prevent falls and enhance prescriptive decision support. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the significance of a sustainable dashboard architecture and how to overcome the challenges faced when developing a dashboard amid underlying data system changes. The development process used an iterative dashboard co-design process, ensuring the successful implementation of knowledge into practice. Future research will focus on the implementation and evaluation of the dashboard’s impact on health processes and economic outcomes.

There are a myriad of obstacles faced by individuals who take medication for opioid use disorder, including high out-of-pocket costs, stigma, logistical challenges associated with traveling to treatment facilities, and negative experiences with treatment providers. The proliferation of illicit fentanyl use and associated overdose risk underscores the urgent need to broaden access to lifesaving pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder. This case report describes the safe and effective induction of a 32-year-old male onto sublingual buprenorphine in a digital care setting, with integrated, counselor-facilitated psychosocial treatment delivered via a smartphone app targeting relapse prevention. The digital care modality enabled this patient to overcome 2 major treatment barriers: limited access to evidence-based treatment given his residence in a rural area, and heightened overdose risk given his use of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. In addition, we describe tobacco cessation treatment delivered digitally concurrently with opioid use disorder care, combining pharmacotherapy and behavioral skills training. Given the disproportionately high rate of co-occurring opioid use disorder and tobacco use and associated mortality rates, the effective treatment of these conditions simultaneously in this case advances our knowledge of potentially efficacious treatment approaches for underserved individuals with opioid use disorder who present with polysubstance use.

Presented by OSF

PDF | Traditionally, language production and perception have been studied separately, but investigating both jointly is needed to understand language... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Background: Patients with long-term health needs are often expected to actively participate in outpatient care, assuming that they have appropriate health literacy and digital health literacy. However, the association between participation in a digital outpatient service and health literacy remain unclear.

Background: Admission to a hospital can be a very stressful and anxiety-provoking experience, as patients face many unknowns that can compromise their physical and psychological well-being. Patient-centered care necessitates that health care organizations and professionals actively comprehend patients’ experiences and values, for which effective training in communication skills is essential. Objective: This study will contribute to this field of research by evaluating a blended therapeutic communication training program. Methods: The training consists of online e-learning that provides insights into important concepts of therapeutic communication, followed by a virtual reality patient-embodied experience shown to help nurses feel what it is like to be a patient themselves during a 1-day didactic training with experiential small groups. Theory on therapeutic communication is taught, focusing on how to use rapid rapport techniques and hypnotic and suggestive language to facilitate empathy. This is combined with practical exercises, ensuring an active learning process. By integrating these diverse blended learning training methods, the program aims to enhance nurses’ communication skills, ultimately improving patient care. Applying the Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation, this prospective study will use a convergent mixed methods study design, integrating both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data will include fieldwork, as well as individual and focus group interviews with the participating nurses. Quantitative data will include questionnaires that include the first two levels of the Kirkpatrick model and that are validated for this purpose. Inclusion started in April 2024, and the therapeutic communication training was scheduled for the first half of 2024. Results: On February 8, 2024, we received permission from the authorizing body (Institutional Science Committee and NWMO Committee) to start our study. Data collection started in April 2024 and was completed by the end of 2024. Conclusions: This study will systematically evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic communication training in the acute admission ward for patients who require emergency treatment. The results will yield insights into the feasibility and acceptance of the implementation of therapeutic communication training among nurses in an acute admission ward in the Netherlands.

Background: Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), a group of parenchymal lung disorders, present with varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis, which lead to symptoms such as progressive breathlessness, impaired quality of life (QoL), and reduced life expectancy. Patients with ILD can experience a sudden worsening of their condition, known as an acute exacerbation, which is associated with inappropriate hospital admissions, concomitant National Health Service (NHS) costs, impaired QoL, and high mortality. The heterogeneity of ILDs, the unpredictability of acute exacerbations, and significant variation in disease progression and response to treatment present numerous management challenges. Standard care typically involves 3-6 monthly hospital outpatient visits to monitor disease and assess response to treatment. Home monitoring with remote review of spirometry, pulse oximetry, and patient-reported measures offers an alternative approach to in-person clinic review and laboratory-based physiological measurements. Clinical trials indicate home monitoring of patients with ILD is acceptable, and results correlate with laboratory-based pulmonary function tests (PFTs). The impact of implementing home monitoring for patients with ILD in a real-world setting is not well understood. Objective: We aim to evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and acceptability of home monitoring with standard care in the management of patients with ILD. Methods: This study has been registered as a quality improvement project at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (reference 13660) and Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (reference 24-1378). The project has been co-designed by the steering group, including clinicians, researchers, technology partners, a patient advocacy charity, and patients diagnosed with ILD. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be provided a handheld spirometer, pulse oximeter, and access to patientMpower, an electronic health app, on their smart devices and followed up for 12 months. All participants will be asked to complete at least once weekly home spirometry and pulse oximetry measurements and 3 monthly patient-reported measures, including outcome, engagement, and experience measures, using the patientMpower app. Results will be available to the clinicians in real time and used to monitor disease progression, symptoms, and QoL, and to assess treatment response. Results: This study was funded by NHS Digital in September 2021. Patient recruitment and data collection started in March 2022. By January 2024, 186 patients were enrolled. All patients will have home monitoring for at least 12 months. Results are expected to be published at the end of 2025. Conclusions: We hypothesize home monitoring will be safe, effective and acceptable for patients with ILD and result in a 50% reduction in routine laboratory-based pulmonary function tests and in-person clinic consultations.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant public health issue, with a rising global incidence despite extensive research efforts. Patient-centered care, which tailors treatment to individual needs, has shown potential in enhancing outcomes. The integration of smart technologies with psychological frameworks such as the health belief model and the knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model may further improve patient engagement and adherence. To address this, we have developed a smart technique–assisted patient-centered care mobile health app for managing VTE (mVTEA), which integrates psychological frameworks to improve patient outcomes in VTE management. Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of the mVTEA app on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of VTE in patients with or at high risk of VTE. Methods: The SmaVTE (smart technology facilitated patient-centered venous thromboembolism management) study is a 2-armed, single-center, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial. A total of 256 hospitalized patients with or at high risk of VTE will be recruited on the day of their discharge from August 2024 to June 2025. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the mVTEA management group or the routine management group in a 1:1 ratio. The mVTEA management group (n=128) will receive patient-centered VTE management facilitated by the mVTEA app after discharge. The routine management group (n=128) will be administered conventional postdischarge management according to local clinical practice. The KAP of patients will be assessed by a structured KAP questionnaire on VTE. The primary outcome is the difference in patients’ KAP on VTE at 3-month follow-up between the 2 groups. Secondary outcomes include scores on each domain of the questionnaire, quality of life, VTE events, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease, postpulmonary embolism syndrome, major bleeding events, VTE-related hospitalizations or rehospitalizations, deaths, and new-onset atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter at 3-month follow-up. Results: Participants are currently being recruited. The first participant was enrolled in August 2024, which marked the official start of the study. The recruitment process is expected to be completed in June 2025. As of the submission of the paper, 185 patients had been enrolled in this clinical trial. At present, all included patients are being followed up according to the outlined schedule. Conclusions: The SmaVTE study offers a pioneering approach to VTE prevention and treatment by combining smart technology with patient-centered care and established theoretical frameworks. The findings could significantly impact clinical practice and inspire further research into the integration of smart technologies with behavioral science theories. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06350331; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06350331

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiotherapy (RT) in patients with breast cancer (BC) is a relatively new and understudied topic. AF can increase the risk of stroke and other serious cardiovascular complications, compromising patients’ quality of life and survival. Screening of AF, both asymptomatic and symptomatic forms, is therefore essential for optimal management. Objective: The aim of the Watch Your Heart After Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer (WATCH) study is to assess the incidence of AF (symptomatic or asymptomatic) occurring throughout a 5-year follow-up after RT and to investigate whether cardiac radiation exposure is associated with the occurrence of such events. Methods: WATCH is a cohort study that will include 200 patients over 65 years old, treated with RT for BC 5 years before inclusion and without a history of AF. Cross-sectional screening for AF at the time of the scheduled 5-year post-RT visit will be conducted by recording data from a Withings ScanWatch smartwatch for 1 month, confirmed by an electrocardiogram (ECG), and validated by a physician. In addition, a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) will be performed, providing a comprehensive assessment of cardiac structures, and allowing us to investigate the underlying etiology and assess the risk of complications. Patients’ medical records will provide retrospective information about the timing and risk factors for the occurrence of AF and other arrhythmias and cardiac diseases during the 5 years following RT. The development of deep learning algorithms for autosegmentation analysis of potentially critical substructures for the occurrence of AF, including cardiac chambers, the sinoatrial node, the atrioventricular node, coronary arteries, and pulmonary veins (PVs), will produce dosimetry linked to previous RT treatment for all contoured structures. Results: Enrollment started in October 2023 and will continue until mid-2026 to include 200 patients, which will ensure an 80% statistical power to detect a significant difference in AF incidence around 15% for the group of patients moderately exposed (75th percentile of the mean heart radiation dose). The results are expected by the end of 2026. Conclusions: This study will contribute to generating new knowledge on AF after RT for BC and help considering the inclusion of AF screening into routine clinical practice for these patients. Identifying the dose-risk associations would improve RT delivery protocols to limit the occurrence of different forms of AF and, if necessary, initiate appropriate treatment. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06073509; clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06073509?id=NCT06073509&rank=1.

Background: The prevalence of dementia is increasing in Canada and in many countries internationally. People living with dementia are highly dependent on family and friend care partners, who may have little knowledge of the disorder. Web-based interventions in dementia have been shown to improve care partner mental health and reduce burden, but few have been widely implemented or rigorously studied. We developed a web- and email-based dementia education platform for care partners, iGeriCare, which includes 12 asynchronous, multimedia, e-learning lessons and email-based content to reinforce the learning. Objective: The primary objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility and care partner acceptance of the intervention, including study methods. Secondary objectives will examine the effectiveness of the educational resources on family care partners’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and sense of burden. Methods: This study is a 2-arm, pilot, feasibility, randomized controlled trial. A total of 125 family or friend care partners for a person living with dementia—who are residing in Canada, aged 16+ years, and comfortable using the internet and email—will be recruited using coinvestigator networks and Facebook digital marketing advertisements. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receiving the dementia web- and email-based educational intervention) or the control group (receiving an alternate topic e-learning lesson and emails) and will have 8 weeks to complete baseline surveys and the assigned e-learning. After 8 weeks, participants will have 2 weeks to complete poststudy surveys. This protocol will be repeated with a second cohort of 100 care partners recruited from a paid panel service based on learnings from initial feasibility results. Results: Initial recruitment began on September 6, 2022, and concluded on October 2, 2022. A total of 125 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=61) or control (n=64) group. Data collection concluded in January 2023. Preliminary feasibility results showed a substantial number of participants who did not engage with the protocol as intended. A decision was made to recruit a second cohort of participants to address these protocol deviations. Secondary recruitment began on June 12, 2023, and concluded on June 27, 2023. A total of 100 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=53) or control (n=47) group. Data collection concluded in September 2023. Further results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences. Conclusions: This study is investigating the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a web- and email-based dementia care partner educational intervention. The results of this study will contribute to the planning of a larger randomized controlled trial in the future, as well as the evaluation of innovative, cost-effective, and efficient dementia care partner resources that can complement traditional approaches. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05114187; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05114187

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex, incurable condition requiring lifelong care, often placing significant psychological strain on parents and emerging as a public health concern. While various interventions exist to enhance the psychological health of parents, the role of digital health interventions (DHIs) in this context remains underexplored. Objective: This scoping review aims to systematically assess the availability of DHIs targeting the psychological health of parents of children with ASD and evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in improving parental psychological health. Methods: The review will include English-language studies published from inception to June 25, 2024, focusing on DHIs aimed at improving the psychological health of parents of children with ASD. Eligible studies will involve parents of children with ASD less than the age of 18 years, across various settings, and assess psychological health outcomes. A comprehensive search will be conducted across six databases: (1) CINAHL, (2) Ovid EMBASE, (3) Ovid Global Health, (4) Ovid MEDLINE, (5) Ovid PsycINFO, and (6) Web of Science. Studies will be screened and selected based on predefined eligibility criteria. Data extraction will include publication details, study design, participants’ characteristics, intervention specifics, comparisons, psychological outcomes, and key findings. Results will be synthesized using descriptive statistics, charts, and narrative analysis. Results: The initial keyword-based search, completed in June 2024, identified 5825 records, which were subsequently screened and analyzed. Screening and evidence synthesis were finalized in winter 2024, and the completed scoping review was submitted in December 2024. Conclusions: This study will provide a comprehensive overview of commonly used DHIs for supporting the psychological health of parents of children with ASD and their effectiveness. The findings will help identify research gaps, inform future studies and funding priorities, and contribute to the development of practice guidelines to enhance parental psychological health.