# Using ecological momentary assessment to develop an adaptive psychological intervention for young adults with chronic pain.

> **NIH NIH K23** · SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2024 · $157,409

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Chronic pain is a widespread concern, affecting 12% of young adults globally (ages 18-29). These individuals
face significant burden, including the risk of chronic pain continuation from childhood and elevated rates of
depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. While psychological treatments have shown efficacy in adults and
adolescents, their effectiveness in young adults remains uncertain. An important challenge is how to develop
and maximize psychological treatments for young adults, who experience significant barriers to accessing
treatment. We are at a crucial point in the development of effective care for young adults with chronic pain, with
a priority being to address the lack of availability of treatments developed specifically for this population. Mobile
Health (mHealth) interventions (smartphone apps), and in particular those that leverage just-in-time adaptive
mechanisms (JITAI) are a promising solution for improving access to and use of psychological strategies for
pain management, particularly in young adults. JITAI leverage real-time, real-world data (i.e., smartphone
surveys and passive sensing) to deliver personalized support. However, the lack of real-time data on
contextual vulnerabilities that predict pain in young adults is a significant gap in knowledge impeding
development of personalized mobile interventions. Our proposed K23 research aims to fill this knowledge gap,
leveraging ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to develop and test a mobile "just-in-time" adaptive
intervention (JITAI) for young adults with chronic pain. Using advanced methodologies, we will (1) conduct a
study using ecological momentary assessment to identify contextual vulnerabilities that predict exacerbations
in pain in young adults to inform JITAI targets; (2) use findings from the EMA study and input from young adult
patient partners to develop a mobile app JITAI prototype including tailored messages suggesting brief or more
effortful psychological strategie; and (3) pilot the JITAI using a 28-day micro-randomized trial (MRT) to assess
different message types' impact on engagement in the strategies. The expected outcomes of this research
include preliminary data on dynamic pain predictors (EMA) and proof-of-concept methodologies (micro-
randomized JITAI) for a large-scale MRT for Optimization. Furthermore, I will be well-positioned to launch my
career, leveraging cutting-edge digital approaches for personalized, scalable mobile health intervention for
chronic pain. The study and training activities included in this proposal will advance my knowledge and skills in
multilevel longitudinal methods, designing JITAIs, utilizing micro-randomized trials to optimize JITAIs, young
adult pain management and engagement, and conducting clinical trials. Leveraging advancements in theory,
digital methodologies, and human-centered design holds promise in creating a new generation personalized
mobile interventions that can reduce the burden of pai...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10950250
- **Project number:** 1K23AT012901-01
- **Recipient organization:** SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Caitlin Murray
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $157,409
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-06 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10950250

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10950250, Using ecological momentary assessment to develop an adaptive psychological intervention for young adults with chronic pain. (1K23AT012901-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10950250. Licensed CC0.

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