Testing a Digital Intervention for Adolescents
Phase: NA
Conditions: Rumination, Stress, Psychological
Sponsor: Happify Inc.

Testing a Digital Intervention for Adolescents
NCT 04567888

PROTOCOL NUMBER:  
HLS-20 
  
PROTOCOL TITLE:  
Testing a Digital Intervention for Adolescents 
 
PROTOCOL DATE: 
11/19/21 
 
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: 
Eliane Boucher, PhD 
Research Associate 
Happify Inc. 
(432) 258-5233 
Eliane@happify.com 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
I. 
RATIONALE AND PURPOSE OF STUDY 
a. Background:    
Mental disorders among children and adolescents have been on the rise, 
and have reached a prevalence rate of 16.5% in the U.S. (Twenge, Cooper, Joiner, 
Duffy, & Binau, 2019; Whitney & Peterson, 2019). Preventative approaches are 
effective in reducing the adolescent mental health burden, particularly when they 
target specific risk and protective factors for mental health (Kieling et al., 2011). 
One specific risk factor for future mental health problems in adolescence is 
elevated, chronic stress (Anderson et al., 2014), which has rarely been evaluated 
as an outcome variable in interventions (Feiss et al., 2019) with the exception of 
school-based stress management interventions. Stress is a growing concern for 
teens in the U.S., as adolescents have reported higher levels of stress than they 
perceive to be healthy, levels that are often higher than those reported by adults, 
and many reported increasing levels of stress (Anderson et al., 2014). What stress-
focused interventions exist tend to rely on simple stress reduction techniques 
(Carter & Garber, 2011; Dozois, Seeds, & Collins, 2009) and these have had 
limited efficacy. However, adolescent stress may stem from negative cognitions, 
thus general mental health interventions that incorporate therapeutic approaches 
to improving negative cognitions may more effectively reduce adolescents’ 
perceived stress levels. Rumination is a transdiagnostic, cognitive process 
strongly associated with stress, which also exacerbates the negative effects of 
stress among adolescents (Topper, Emmelkamp, Watkins, Ehring, 2017). There is 
evidence that both rumination and perceived stress can be reduced with 
interventions based on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, 
suggesting an approach drawing on several therapeutic traditions that target 
specific positive and negative factors may be the most beneficial (Mazzer & 
Linton, 2019; Bessette et al., 2020). Unfortunately, little research on adolescent 
interventions assesses both stress and rumination; therefore, testing an 
intervention aiming to reduce stress and rumination is warranted.  
b. Rationale: Because of the dearth of interventions aiming to reduce stress and 
rumination in adolescence, particularly ones that are scalable and low-cost, further 
exploration and dissemination of mental health interventions is warranted. 
Happify for Teens, a digital product that aims to improve well-being, may be 
particularly useful for adolescents in reducing perceived stress and rumination due 
to its holistic approach. Although previous studies have shown that Happify can 
improve resilience, subjective well-being, anxiety, and depression in adults (Parks 
et al., 2018; Parks et al., 2020), it has never been tested in a younger age group 
(ages 13-17).  The proposed study will build on previous research by examining 

the efficacy of Happify in a new population, and will potentially offer a valuable 
and accessible mental health resource to teens.  
c. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine whether a digital product, 
called “Happify for Teens”, can successfully reduce perceived stress and 
rumination, and improve other outcomes including: sleep disturbance, loneliness, 
and optimism, for teenagers ages 13-17, when compared to a waitlist control 
condition. Happify is delivered online and rooted in various therapeutic traditions, 
including CBT, positive psychology, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. It 
provides users with tracks and activities that teach skills involving savoring (e.g., 
mindfulness-based activities), thanking (e.g., gratitude-based activities), aspiring 
(e.g., optimism and goal-setting activities), giving (e.g., kindness and forgiveness 
activities), empathizing (e.g., self-compassion and perspective-taking activities), 
and reviving (e.g., physical activities), which aim to improve mental health. If 
found to be effective, Happify for Teens will be an accessible and cost-effective 
resource for teen stress reduction and general mental health. 
d. Nature of Study: The nature of this study is confirmatory and exploratory. We 
will be testing the hypothesis that using the Happify platform will result in greater 
decreases in perceived stress and rumination over an 8-week period compared to a 
waitlist control, with users who complete more activities experiencing more 
improvement. We also aim to explore the effects of Happify on several factors, 
including: sleep disturbance, loneliness, and optimism. To do this, we will employ 
a longitudinal randomized design. Participants will be randomly assigned to either 
the Happify experimental condition or the waitlist control condition after meeting 
inclusion criteria and taking a baseline assessment. Those in both conditions will 
be asked to complete assessments at 4 weeks (mid-point), after the 8-week 
intervention period (immediate post-test), and 1-month post intervention. 
Participants will be adolescents aged 13-17 with elevated levels of rumination and 
stress who are recruited online.  
  
II. PROCEDURES INVOLVED 
a. Study Design:  
i. This study will build on Happify’s existing recruitment strategies and will 
advertise to parents on social media and existing Happify users who 
indicate they have adolescents. Parents who take interest in having their 
child(ren) participate in this study will be directed to an online prescreen 
questionnaire via Qualtrics that will assess their child(ren)’s eligibility for 
the study by asking how many kids they have aged 13-17, their 
child(ren)’s age(s), country of residence, and previous Happify use. They 
will also be provided with a description of the study and what their 
child(ren) will be expected to do. If they are still interested and their 

child(ren) meets these preliminary inclusion criteria, they will be asked to 
read and sign the consent form and check a box for each child that they 
want to participate.  They will type their name and email, and child(ren)’s 
name and email so the child can complete their initial prescreener (in the 
event that a child does not have their own personal email address, parents 
will be instructed that they can provide a parent’s email address and share 
the email with their child). After the prescreen, parents will be sent a 
Thank You email with a link to share the study with other parents who 
may be interested. 
ii. The Qualtrics prescreener link will then be sent to the child. It includes 
verifying their country of residence, age, and previous Happify use. They 
will also complete the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Ruminative 
Responses Scale (RRS) to ensure their scores are above thresholds (PSS ≥ 
10; RRS ≥ 14). Finally, the participant must agree to study duties, 
including: completing the baseline assessment, completing activities via 
Happify through a computer or smartphone, and being contacted 
throughout the 12 week period by Happify research staff. Participants are 
told that they may be assigned to a waitlist control and will not have 
access to the Happify platform until the end of the study but will still have 
to complete assessments. They are asked to check a box if they would be 
willing to continue with the study and not download Happify if assigned to 
the waitlist. We will ask participants to agree to not discuss the study with 
friends or family also participating in the study.  If the child meets the 
inclusion criteria, they will be instructed that they’ll receive an email 
inviting them to complete the first assessment (baseline assessment) on the 
following Monday or Thursday (whichever comes first).  They must 
complete this assessment in order to qualify for the study, and must 
continue to meet thresholds for perceived stress and rumination, and pass 
at least one of 7 attention checks during the baseline assessment.  This 
email will have instructions to set up a unique study ID that will be used 
throughout the study to link participant data across assessments and other 
data collections.  
iii. In this email, participants will be provided an assent form (through 
Qualtrics) which is shown at the beginning of the baseline assessment. If 
participants choose to, they will read and agree to a statement that they 
will provide honest and thoughtful responses throughout the study, and a 
separate statement agreeing not to discuss the study with any family or 
friends who may also be participating in the study. Participants must 
complete the baseline to be randomized to condition.  Participants are 

required to pass at least one of the attention checks in the baseline 
assessment.  These attention checks require people to select a specific 
response option (e.g., for the PSS, an attention check item could instruct 
the participant to select “Never”, and this would vary across all 
assessments). Participants who complete and pass the baseline assessment 
on Qualtrics will be randomly assigned, via a Qualtrics randomization 
tool, to either the experimental or waitlist control group, and will receive 
an email or text (through Simple Text) with information detailing their 
condition on their corresponding start date. If they are in the experimental 
condition, they will also receive a link to download Happify. Both groups 
will complete assessments at 4 (mid-point), 8 (immediate post-
intervention), and 12 weeks (one month post-intervention) via their 
preferred method of contact which was obtained in the baseline (e.g. email 
or text). All participants will be prompted to provide their user ID and 
complete the PSS, RRS - Brooding Subscale, LOT-R, PROMIS Pediatric 
Sleep Disturbance scale, and the RULS-8 via Qualtrics at each assessment 
point. Participants will also be asked at each assessment point if they have 
sought out help from other online platforms and what their current 
schooling situation is (fully remote, hybrid model, fully in person, home-
schooled, or not in school). All of the assessments will have one attention 
check per questionnaire, which will instruct participants to select a 
specific response option to ensure they are reading questionnaire items and 
instructions carefully. The SLSS and PANAS-C-S will be administered 
only during baseline for scale validation purposes, and the experimental 
group will receive the Happify scale as part of the app experience every 2 
weeks. In both cases, participants who do not qualify for the study will be 
thanked and alerted through Qualtrics that they do not qualify, and all their 
survey information will be deleted to protect their confidentiality. 
Participants who do not complete the baseline assessment will not go onto 
the study and will also have all of their information deleted.  
b. Study Measures:  
i. Usage statistics such as number of activities completed and number of 
active days will be collected. 
ii. Major assessments will consist of several validated and published scales 
that assess aspects of participants’ mental health, and information about 
the participant. All scales also have been used in previous peer-reviewed 
research with adolescents. Scales are listed below, and the full text of all 
scale items can be found at the end of this document.  
1. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein, 
1983): 10-item measure of perceived stress  

2. Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) - Short Form - Brooding 
Subscale (Treynor, Gonzalez, & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003): 5 items 
which measure moody pondering over 7 days  
3. Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R; Scheier & Carver, 1985), 
10-item measure on optimism   
4. Roberts UCLA Loneliness Scale (Roberts, Lewinsohn, & Seeley, 
1993): 8-item measure of subjective feelings of loneliness and 
social isolation 
5. PROMIS Pediatric Sleep Disturbance Scale - Short Form 4a (Yu et 
al., 2012): 4-item scale measuring the frequency of sleep 
disturbances over 7 days  
iii. Other Outcomes  
1. Happify Scale (proprietary scale, developed by A.C. Parks): 9-item 
measure of cognitive and emotional well-being. This scale is given 
every 2 weeks, as part of the Happify platform experience.  
2. Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS; Huebner, 1991): measures 
life satisfaction in school-aged children and adolescents; is only 
given during the baseline assessment in order to validate the 
Happify Scale with adolescents. 
3. Shortened Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children 
(PANAS-C-S; Ebesutani et al., 2012), which measures positive 
and negative emotions in youth; is only given during the baseline 
assessment for validation purposes.  
4. Demographic Questions (baseline assessment only): 
a. Race and Ethnicity Question: “What is your race or 
origin?” (check all that apply).  Participants will select 
from, “American Indian or Alaska Native”, “Asian”, 
“Black or African American”, “Hispanic or Latinx”, 
“Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander”, “White”, or 
“Some other race or origin”.  Then participants will be 
asked if they identify with a race or origin that was not on 
the list, and if they select “yes”, participants will be asked 
to “Please specify”, and they will be given a text box to 
type in.  
b. Gender Question (optional): Participants will be asked  
“What is your gender?” and they will be provided with a 
text box to type in their response.  
c. Age: “What year were you born?” (text box to respond) 
d. Parental Happify Usage: “To your knowledge, have either 
of your parents used Happify before?”; participants will 

respond with “Not that I know of”,  “Yes, one of my 
parents” or “Yes, both of my parents” 
5. Schooling Question (at each assessment point): 1 item asking 
“What is your schooling situation right now?” Participants will 
select from “Fully in person”, “Fully online learning”, “Hybrid 
model”, “Homeschool”, or “Do not attend school.” 
6. Self-Care App Use (at each assessment point): 1 item asking 
participants if they have used any self-care or wellness apps. If 
they indicate yes, they will be prompted with “Which apps?” in 
which they will type in their response.  
iv. Participants will receive reminders if they have not completed these 
assessments on time, and if a participant has not completed an assessment 
within 7 days of its scheduled date, a member of the research team will 
reach out via text message or email (depending on their preferred mode of 
contact) to check in. We will remind them that they receive $20 for every 
major assessment completed (after baseline) and receive a $20 bonus for 
completing all four assessments.  
 
Optional Qualitative Follow-Up  
 
An optional qualitative follow-up survey will be offered to participants who complete at least 1 
activity in the Happify for Teens application, complete the follow-up assessment and at least one 
of the following: Midpoint or Post Assessment. This survey will include 13 open-ended 
questions, 2 close-ended questions, and 3 fill in the blank questions. The survey questions will 
focus on 3 topics: overall perceptions and preferences of Happify, perceived impacts of the app 
for improving mental health, and overall usability, acceptability and likability of Happify for 
Teens.  
The survey is estimated to take 40 minutes to complete per participant. See Appendix K for 
details describing this follow-up 
 
c. Study Conditions: 
i. Happify: Participants assigned to the experimental condition will be 
sent a link to download the Happify Teens platform, as well as instructions 
on how to get started. These participants will have full access to the 
Happify for Teens platform for the entire 12-week study period. Happify 
for Teens has multiple tracks that target specific issues (e.g., “The 
Friendship Project”), which contain activity variants and games  based on 
research in positive psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy, 
mindfulness, etc.. Track activities are organized into five categories based 
on the acronym STAGER: savor (savoring and mindfulness), thank 

(gratitude), aspire (goal-setting, reframing/optimism, and meaning), give 
(prosocial behavior, kindness, and forgiveness), empathize (perspective-
taking and self-compassion), and revive (physical health). Although 
participants have access to all tracks on the Teens platform, four tracks 
related to stress and rumination will be featured: Stress Buster 101, Stop 
the Worry Cycle, Be Kinder to Yourself, and Fight Those Negative 
Thoughts. Participants will also have access to instant play activities. An 
example of an activity on Happify is called “Today’s grateful moment”, 
which asks participants to spend a few moments writing about something 
they are grateful for. They will not be told directly how often to engage 
with the platform; however, we will encourage them to engage with the 
platform regularly. Participants also will receive push notifications on 
their mobile device every other day to remind them to access the platform, 
and they will receive weekly emails as part of the Happify Health platform 
to help increase engagement. If a participant has not completed any 
activities within the platform for 7 days, they will also receive a text 
message or email (depending on their preferred mode of contact) from a 
member of the research team to check in. Participants will continue to 
have access to the Happify for Teens platform for an additional 4 weeks 
after the intervention period ends (until the 12-week assessment), but will 
receive no instructions, reminders or push notifications to use the platform 
during this time.  
ii. Waitlist comparison: Participants assigned to this condition will be 
notified that they have been assigned to the waitlist control condition and 
will receive access to the Happify for Teens platform after the 12 week 
study period. They will be asked to refrain from downloading Happify in 
this time period and that they will still need to complete assessments in 4 
weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks time as part of the study.  
d. Study Duration: It is expected that this study will take 12 weeks to complete. Users 
will be asked to complete a baseline questionnaire after assenting to participate in the 
study, and based on completion, will then be assigned to either the Happify condition or 
the waitlist control condition. Participants will be asked to complete a mid-point 
assessment at 4 weeks, a post-test questionnaire at the end of the 8-week intervention 
period and one month after the post-assessment, users will be asked to complete a follow-
up questionnaire. They will receive check-ins via their preferred method of contact every 
2 weeks throughout the study that ask if they have any questions and thank them for their 
participation. Participants and parents of participants will also receive thank you 
messages at the end of the study. 
 
e. Design and Proposed Statistical Analysis 

 
I. Changes in Stress and Secondary/Exploratory Outcomes: To assess whether 
changes in participants’ perceived stress differed across the two groups, we plan to 
conduct a 2 (group: intervention vs. control) x 4 (time: baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 
weeks) repeated-measures ANOVA on participants’ PSS scores, controlling for 
participant age and gender. Similar analyses will be conducted on secondary and 
exploratory outcome measures. To determine whether usage predicted changes in these 
outcomes, we will also conduct regression analyses among participants in the 
intervention condition regressing their scores on each outcome variable onto the number 
of activities completed within the Happify for Teens platform, while controlling for 
corresponding baseline scores on that outcome. 
 
ii. Rumination as a Potential Mediator: To test whether any observed changes 
in perceived stress can be attributed to changes in brooding, we also plan to conduct 
mediation analyses using Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS. 
 
iii. Data Exclusion: Because careless responding is problematic with online 
surveys and may artificially increase relationships between variables, we plan to use to 
two separate a priori mechanisms for identifying low quality data: (1) failing 3 or more 
attention checks in an assessment, and (2) completing an assessment at a rate faster than 1 
second per item. We will then re-run the analyses described above without these 
participants to test whether effects differ when removing low quality data. 
 
iiii. Happify Scale Validation: To validate the scale for internal purposes, we 
will conduct confirmatory factor analysis testing the two-factor structure of the scale, and 
examine convergent validity by computing correlations between the positive emotion 
subscale and the PANAS-C-S and between the life satisfaction subscale and the SLSS 
that are collected at baseline. 
 
III. RECRUITMENT 
a. Study Population: This study will recruit adolescents aged 13-17 (Target N=800) by 
advertising to parents on social media (e.g. Facebook, online forums, word of mouth 
etc…)  and existing Happify users who have previously indicated they are parents of 
adolescents as part of the Happify onboarding process. We will also use a snowballing 
recruitment method, in which parents who complete the prescreener will be encouraged 
to share the study with others. We will continue recruiting until 800 participants have met 
inclusion criteria, successfully completed the baseline assessment, and have started the 
study.  
b. Inclusion Criteria: Participants are those who are 13-17 years old, are located in the 
United States, are a new user of Happify, willing and able to complete the study 
activities, agree to potentially being selected for the waitlist comparison, agree to not 
discuss the study with friends or family, report elevated levels of perceived stress (PSS 
score of at least 14) and rumination (RRS-Brooding score of at least 10), and have a 

parent who is willing to consent to the study. Participants are required to complete and 
pass the baseline assessment to be included in this study.  
c. Exclusion Criteria:  Participants may withdraw from the study or skip assessments at 
any time; however during the prescreening and/or baseline process, potential participants 
will be disqualified if they indicate:  
i. They are not 13-17 years old. 
ii. They reside outside of the United States 
iii. They have previously registered for or used Happify 
iv. They are not willing and able to complete the study activities 
v. They indicate that they are not willing to continue the study or refrain 
from downloading Happify if selected to be on the waitlist 
vi. They are not willing to use a mobile app or internet website 
vii. They do not agree to refraining from discussing the study with friends or 
family 
viii. 
They have a PSS score of below 14 
ix. They have an RRS-Brooding score of less than 10  
x. They do not agree to be contacted 
xi. Their parent does not consent to the study  
xii. Participants will also be excluded if they do not complete the baseline 
assessment, or if they do but fail at least 7/7 attention checks. 
2. Sample Size: We will recruit 800 participants to be in this study, 400 in each 
condition. 
3. Withdrawal:  Participants may choose to withdraw from the study at any time. 
Data that has been collected up until that point will be available to the research 
team for analysis. Participants can withdraw by contacting the research team, and 
then they will be promptly removed from the study. 
  
IV. CONSENT PROCESS 
a. Consent Process: Parents who are interested in having their adolescent 
children participate must read about the study procedures and requirements, and 
actively check a box that indicates they understand the requirements of the study. 
To consent, they will draw their signature on an online form through Qualtrics. 
They will draw a signature and check a box for each child. Adolescents who 
would like to participate read about the procedures and requirements of the study, 
and actively check a box that indicates that they understand the requirements of 
the study before they begin the baseline assessment. To assent, they click a box 
that says, “YES, I would like to participate in this study.” Consent and assent will 
be obtained for all participants before enrolling them in the study and beginning 
the baseline assessment.  

b. Consent Documentation: Electronic records of participant assent and parental 
consent will be downloaded through Qualtrics and moved to Happify servers, 
where they will be maintained. 
  
V. INCOMPLETE DISCLOSURE OR DECEPTION 
a. Incomplete Disclosure/Deception: Not applicable; participants will be 
provided with all necessary information before participating in this study. 
  
VI. RISKS TO PARTICIPANTS 
a. Risks: To our knowledge, there are no anticipated risks to participating in this 
study. The research makes no claim of providing treatment for mental illness 
(which will be made clear to individuals prior to participating).  Rather, the 
research team is interested in improving the psychological wellbeing of teens with 
elevated levels of perceived stress and rumination. Both parents and teens will be 
required to check a box that indicates they understand this study does not provide 
treatment for any condition and is not a substitute for medication or therapy. Since 
this study uses the internet, there’s a possibility that someone could see the 
participants computer or phone screen and see the information they are sending 
us.  Each participant may choose to answer the surveys in a private room or 
behind closed doors, to protect their privacy.  
 
  
VII. BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS 
a. By participating in this study, participants will gain access to an online program 
that may benefit them. We cannot guarantee that participants will benefit directly 
by participating in this study; however, we are testing this platform because we 
believe there is a good chance that it will be helpful to participants and other users 
in the future. 
i. There is a dearth of evidence-based digital platforms for teens that aim to 
decrease stress and rumination, while improving psychological well being. 
Therefore, if it is shown to be effective, Happify would be an accessible, 
low cost resource in which teens can attain mental health care early on 
through the reduction of perceived stress and rumination. This program 
would benefit teenagers themselves, but also their schools and parents, 
thus improving society at large.  
  
VIII. FINANCIAL COMPENSATION 
a. Financial Compensation:  
i. Parents will be entered into a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card for 
referring other parents to the prescreener via a link we send them. They 

will receive one additional entry for each person they refer to the study 
and who reports their name and/or email. The raffle will be conducted 
once a month throughout recruitment, and the parent will be emailed their 
gift card.  
ii. Participants in both conditions will be compensated for completing the 
major assessments, after baseline. They will receive $20 Tango cards for 
completing assessments at each point: 4 weeks (mid-point), 8 (end-point), 
and 12 (follow-up) weeks. If participants complete each of these 
assessments, they will receive $60 total in Tango gift cards. In addition, 
those who complete all 3 assessments will receive a $20 bonus, leading to 
a possible total compensation of $80.  
iii. Tango cards will be delivered immediately after assessment completion 
through Qualtrics to the participant’s preferred method of contact (phone 
or email). Participants receive a reward link and will be directed to the 
Tango Card site, where they can choose which gift card they want from 80 
popular brands.  
iv. Participants will not be compensated for use of the intervention, only the 
completion of assessments.  
  
IX. PARTICIPANTS’ PRIVACY INTERESTS 
a. Data Privacy: The privacy of participants in this study will maintain the same 
privacy of regular users of Happify, which is strictly confidential, and this 
project’s data will only be accessible to Happify researchers. All questionnaire 
data will be stored securely in the research coordinator’s password protected-
Qualtrics account, and access will be limited to the research team. Once the study 
is complete, data will be downloaded to the PI’s secure, password-protected 
computer and saved using secure storage on Happify servers. In addition, when 
data are exported from that secure server for analysis, they will be exported in a 
de-identified format (without name, location, or IP address data). Data, therefore, 
can only be analyzed anonymously by the research team, which will help to 
safeguard participants’ privacy interests. Any data collected about participants in 
the experimental condition via the Happify for Teens platform also will be stored 
securely using Happify servers 
b. Publication: Data will be analyzed for internal use and publication. We intend 
to pursue publication of one or more papers in peer-reviewed journals and may  
be presenting preliminary findings at conferences. All data will be presented in 
aggregate form, with no identifying information attached that would reveal a 
participant’s identity. 
c. The research team leads who will be able to manage, access, and determine 
access to data are: 

i. Eliane Boucher, PhD (PI, Research Scientist at Happify) 
ii. Nicole Harake, PhD (Research Associate at Happify) 
iii. C.J. Miles (Clinical Research Coordinator at Happify) 
 
X. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA MANAGEMENT 
a. Confidentiality: Research data, including questionnaire data and information 
about participants’ engagement with the Happify platform (e.g., number of 
activities completed during the study) will be stored securely on Happify servers 
and will be stored separately from any information that might be used to identify 
participants. Data will be contained in password-protected digital files and stored 
on a secure server from Happify. Only the PI and associated research staff will 
have access to the data files. Computers to be used by the researchers are also 
password-protected. 
i. 
Parent email and name and child email and name will be collected in the 
prescreener for referral and contact purposes. Child phone number will 
also be collected in the baseline assessment if that is their preferred 
method of contact for the purposes of contacting participants about the 
study (participants will consent to this, and contact  information will be 
stored in a separate database).  
ii. 
Users will be asked to create a user ID which they will use to take the 
remaining assessments. This will allow us to de-identify the data but also 
attain participant contact information when needed. We will also obtain 
emails/phone numbers for contacting people regarding missed assessments 
and/or lack of usage. Participants who have not completed a major 
assessment or used Happify for 7 days will be flagged and the research 
coordinator of the research team will login to a secure portal to receive a 
report of email addresses that have been flagged. No record matching of 
the email addresses to contact information will be saved, and only contact 
information will be used for contacting purposes. 
iii. 
The prescreener, consenting process, and major assessments will take 
place outside of Happify’s platform and will be administered via 
Qualtrics. This data will be stored securely within a password protected 
Qualtrics account and the password will be shared only with the Principal 
Investigator and other members of the research team. Prescreen data will 
be downloaded regularly, and this data will be downloaded to a secure, 
password-protected computer and then shared securely with only members 
of the research team who will be contacting potential participants. 
iv. 
Data from participants who are not eligible and do not complete the 
baseline assessment will be deleted from our records.  

v. 
After the study concludes, data will be retained for our records and stored 
on a secure, password-protected computer and in a secure, password-
protected Dropbox account, separate from research data. 
  
XI. QUALIFICATIONS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH 
a. Dr. Eliane Boucher (PI) is a Research Scientist at Happify who specializes in 
social psychology, interpersonal communication, interpersonal relationships, 
uncertainty, social anxiety, computer-mediated communication and judgmental 
accuracy. 
 
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American Psychological Association, 1-47. 
 
Bessette, K. L., Jacobs, R. H., Heleniak, C., Peters, A. T., Welsh, R. C., Watkins, E. R., 
& Langenecker, S. A. (2020). Malleability of rumination: An exploratory model of CBT-
based plasticity and long-term reduced risk for depressive relapse among youth from a 
pilot randomized clinical trial. PloS one, 15(6), e0233539. 
 
Carter, J. S., & Garber, J. (2011). Predictors of the first onset of a major depressive 
episode and changes in depressive symptoms across adolescence: Stress and negative 
cognitions. Journal of abnormal psychology, 120(4), 779. 
 
Dozois, D. J., Seeds, P. M., & Collins, K. A. (2009). Transdiagnostic approaches to the 
prevention of depression and anxiety. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23(1), 44-59. 
 
Feiss, R., Dolinger, S. B., Merritt, M., Reiche, E., Martin, K., Yanes, J. A., ... & 
Pangelinan, M. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based stress, 
anxiety, and depression prevention programs for adolescents. Journal of youth and 
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 APPENDIX III. 
a. Happify Scale 
b. Perceived Stress Scale  
c. Student Life Satisfaction Scale  
d. Revised Life Orientation Test 
e. Ruminative Responses Scale Short Form 
f. UCLA Loneliness Scale  
g. PROMIS - Pediatric Sleep Disturbance Short form 4a 
h. Shortened Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children 
i. Baseline Assessment for Child (described in section II) 
j. Major Assessment(s) for Child (described in section II)  
k. Optional Follow-up Survey