Development and Validation of a Scalable, Self-Guided Trauma Wellness App to Expand Access to Trauma-Focused Mental Health Care

This proposal will refine and test an innovative digital wellness program (Rebound App) to reduce mental health disparities and broaden access to high-quality, effective science-informed trauma education and skills. An estimated $76B is spent annually on direct healthcare for trauma, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) costs the economy $232B annually (e.g., cost of comorbidities, productivity loss). At the individual level, PTSD leads to a myriad of life disruptions, including employment difficulties, relationship problems, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities. PTSD is a highly treatable condition, with meta-analyses of exposure-based interventions for PTSD demonstrating large effect sizes compared to treatment-as-usual or waitlist controls. However, the majority of individuals with PTSD will not get access to gold standard interventions, particularly individuals who face affordability challenges, limited access to specialized care, and discomfort or hesitation around seeking treatment. Innovation in the digital wellness space can provide scalable access to science-based education and tools to serve as an entry-point into evidence-based trauma care. This Phase 1 SBIR will iteratively refine the Rebound App, with input from an expert advisory board and individuals with personal experience navigating trauma recovery. Following App refinement, the team will conduct a single-arm pilot trial to determine Rebound feasibility, acceptability, and usability. At each stage of the development/refinement and testing process, our team will engage key stakeholders to inform, tailor, and evaluate our product to ensure broad accessibility, practical relevance, and alignment with the needs of individuals managing PTSD symptoms. Specifically, this project will support (a) a user-centered-design framework to increase app relevance for the target population and optimize end-user engagement by eliciting input from the target population (Aim 1); (b) refine the app prototype and conduct usability testing with potential end users (e.g., “think-aloud” procedures; Aim 2); and (c) a single-arm pilot study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and preliminary clinical impact of the Rebound App among 30 people screening positive for PTSD symptoms (Aim 3). Successful project completion will result in a refined Rebound App that evidences high feasibility/acceptability/usability and a signal toward clinical improvements in PTSD symptoms. Completion of the proposed study aims will position the team to pursue a Phase II SBIR that will conduct a full-scale randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy of the Rebound App to an active control condition. It will also contribute to the overall growth and commercialization success of Rebound Health by optimizing our end-user experience and generating an evidence-base for the Rebound App.