A digital intervention to improve mental health and interpersonal resilience in young people who have experienced technology‐assisted sexual abuse: a feasibility clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to conduct a feasibility trial of i-Minds, a digital mental health intervention (DMHI) designed to improve mentalisation in young people (YP) who have experienced technology-assisted sexual abuse (TASA). Enhancing mentalisation may reduce the risk of re-victimisation, strengthen resilience, and support management of TASA-related distress. However, evidence-based interventions for TASA are nascent. METHODS: We determined the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of a 6-week mentalisation-based DMHI for YP with TASA in a pre-registered multicentre non-randomised clinical trial (ISRCTN43130832). YP aged 12-18 years recruited across child and adolescent mental health services in two sites completed baseline and post-treatment assessments. RESULTS: Forty-six people were recruited; 43 were allocated to the i-Minds app; 86% completed follow-up assessments. The average participant age was 15.42 years. Most participants identified as female (69.8%), White British (95.3%); a notable percentage identified as non-binary/third gender or preferred not to disclose their gender identity (16.3%), and 20.9% reported their gender did not match their sex assigned at birth. We found signals of post-treatment improvement in TASA-related post-traumatic symptoms, resilience, internalising symptoms, and reflective functioning. User feedback indicated that participants generally had a positive experience of using the app, positively impacting their knowledge/understanding of their own mental health and their motivation to address their mental health difficulties. There were no related adverse events. CONCLUSION: It is possible to recruit and retain participants for a DMHI trial of TASA. The i-Minds app was safe, acceptable and showed promising signals of efficacy on valuable outcomes. Following further refinements, a powered efficacy trial is warranted to confirm and extend findings.