Working Alliance and Subjective Engagement with a Digital Avatar CBT Platform (RITch®CBT): Comparing Young Adults with and Without Co-Occurring Substance Use and Depression
Victoria Pezzino, Cassandra Berbary, Courtney McKinney, Celeste Sangiorgio, Emi Moriuchi, Korena S. Klimczak, Robert Kay Cooper, Wonkyung Kniffen, Maya Hareli, Cory Crane, Caroline J. Easton · 2026
Read Working Alliance and Subjective Engagement with a Digital Avatar CBT Platform (RITch®CBT): Comparing Young Adults with and Without Co-Occurring Substance Use and Depression by Victoria Pezzino, Cassandra Berbary, Courtney McKinney, Celeste Sangiorgio, Emi Moriuchi, Korena S. Klimczak, Robert Kay Cooper, Wonkyung Kniffen, Maya Hareli, Cory Crane, Caroline J. Easton (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13203794.txt.
Description
Victoria Pezzino and co-authors report a 2026 study of a digital therapy platform for young adults. The platform uses an avatar to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use and depression. Young adults with both problems at once face wide gaps in care, and engagement with digital tools may differ for them.
The analysis covered 99 adults aged 18 to 28 seen at an urban university clinic. Each rated their bond with the program and their engagement after two short sessions. Repeat use lifted engagement and usability scores across all groups. The working bond, though, did not differ between groups or across sessions. Depression symptoms tracked with some of the ratings. The results suggest the platform holds its appeal for the dual-diagnosis group.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Victoria Pezzino, Cassandra Berbary, Courtney McKinney, Celeste Sangiorgio, Emi Moriuchi, Korena S. Klimczak, Robert Kay Cooper, Wonkyung Kniffen, Maya Hareli, Cory Crane, Caroline J. Easton |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 49 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |