DASH text-message interviewer pilot
A study of Child Mind Institute MATTER Lab. Child Mind Institute is a nonprofit children's mental health organization.
This page describes a text-message conversation program being piloted to test whether an automated interviewer works reliably. It is a pilot test of the software rather than a research study: the responses are used only to check that the technology functions correctly, and the research study it prepares for has not yet begun.
The study number, and how to opt in
Messages in this program are sent from and received at
The number is published here so that anyone can see it without agreeing to anything first.
You opt in on our opt-in page, by entering your mobile number and ticking a box to agree. The box is not ticked for you, and nothing is sent unless you tick it. We then send one confirmation text, and the interview itself starts when you text us. There is no other way to join: we do not buy, rent, or import phone number lists.
By opting in you agree to receive text messages from the Child Mind Institute MATTER Lab. Message frequency varies; one session runs 30 to 60 minutes as a continuous conversation of approximately 100 to 200 messages. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to cancel. Reply HELP for help, or email olivia.fitzpatrick@childmind.org. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Participants recruited through Prolific are also given a five-character code to send as that first message. The code is how a conversation is matched to a Prolific submission so the participant can be paid. It identifies a session; it is not what permits us to message anyone, and messaging begins only once the participant has texted us.
What participants do
Participants are recruited through the Prolific research platform. Each participant is given a short written persona describing a fictional parent and child, and is asked to answer a standardized mental health screening questionnaire in character. No participant is asked about their own child or their own mental health.
What the messages look like
Hello! I am an AI assistant from Child Mind Institute, messaging you to ask some questions about the child described in the persona you were given, as part of the DASH Mental Health Screener. The first few questions ask about the child's physical health.
Messaging terms
- No marketing or promotional messages are ever sent from this number.
- Phone numbers are used only to conduct the conversation. They are not sold, rented, or shared with third parties, and are not used for marketing.
- A number reaches us only because someone texted us. It is hashed on arrival and the number itself is never stored.
Taking part through Prolific? Open the study from your Prolific dashboard to continue; the link there carries the identifier that resumes your session.
Questions: olivia.fitzpatrick@childmind.org · SMS privacy notice · SMS terms and conditions · Organization privacy policy · Organization terms of use