Windows of Opportunity

Last registered on June 29, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Windows of Opportunity
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018994
Initial registration date
June 24, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
June 29, 2026, 9:14 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Manuela Angelucci
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Raissa Fabregas
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Antonia Vazquez
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-06-26
End date
2027-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study whether take-up and use of a wellbeing app depends on the timing of access. We recruit women experiencing at least mild psychological distress and randomize when they receive access to a digital mental health app. The design allows us to test whether delays reduce uptake and engagement, and how this affects mental health impacts.

Our hypothesis is that individuals who actively seek access to a mental health intervention may be experiencing a temporary period of heightened motivation, or readiness to improve their wellbeing. This creates a potential "window of opportunity" during which engagement with support may be particularly likely. If access is delayed, this window may partially close. As a result, delays may reduce both engagement with the intervention and its subsequent impacts on mental health.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Angelucci, Manuela, Raissa Fabregas and Antonia Vazquez. 2026. "Windows of Opportunity." AEA RCT Registry. June 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18994-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We study whether take-up and use of a wellbeing app depends on the timing of access. We recruit women experiencing at least mild psychological distress and randomize when they receive access to a digital mental health app. The design allows us to test whether delays reduce uptake and engagement, and how this affects mental health impacts.

Intervention Start Date
2026-06-27
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Engagement. We measure (i) whether the participant downloaded the app and (ii) frequency, regularity, and modality of use. We use administrative data.

2. Mental Health. Our primary outcomes focus on psychological distress and well-being. We measure these using: PHQ-8, GAD-7, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), and WHO-5. We use survey data at baseline, 1 and 2 months approximately.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
At baseline, participants complete a survey measuring psychological distress, beliefs about app effectiveness, and willingness to engage. Participants are then randomized to one of three groups:

Group A (Immediate access): receives app access 1 or 8 days after randomization.
Group B (Delayed access): receives app access 31 or 38 days after randomization.
Group C (Control): receives app access after the endline.

Randomization will be stratified by baseline distress and willingness to engage.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer,
Randomization Unit
person
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n/a
Sample size: planned number of observations
600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 by arm (3 arms)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

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