Are single figure generic quality of life measures sensitive to change with mental health interventions?

A body of literature suggests that the provision of human support improves both adherence to and clinical outcomes for digital mental health interventions. While multiple models of providing human support, or coaching, to support digital mental health interventions have been introduced, specific guidance on how to develop coaching protocols has been lacking. In this Education Piece, we provide guidance on developing coaching protocols for text-based communication in digital mental health interventions. Researchers and practitioners who are tasked with developing coaching protocols are prompted to consider the scope of coaching for the intervention, the selection and training of coaches, specific coaching techniques, how to structure communication with clients and how to monitor adherence to guidelines, and quality of coaching. Our goal is to advance thinking about the provision of human support in digital mental health interventions to inform stronger, more engaging, and effective intervention designs.

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How to best measure quality of life in coeliac disease? A validation and comparison of disease-specific and generic quality of life measures

European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology ◽

10.1097/meg.0000000000001432 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (8) ◽

pp. 941-947

Author(s):

Jordy P.W. Burger ◽

H. van Middendorp ◽

Joost P.H. Drenth ◽

Peter J. Wahab ◽

Andrea W.M. Evers

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Coeliac Disease ◽

Quality Of Life Measures ◽

Generic Quality ◽

Disease Specific

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MHC4 Testing The Reliability of Generic Quality-of-Life Measures in the Study of Multiple Sclerosis

Value in Health ◽

10.1046/j.1524-4733.1998.1100474.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

J Holmes ◽

P Kind

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Quality Of Life Measures ◽

Generic Quality

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Changes in Quality of Life and Loneliness Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults Participating in Therapist-Guided Digital Mental Health Intervention

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.746904 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Christine E. Gould ◽

Chalise Carlson ◽

Ana Jessica Alfaro ◽

Christina F. Chick ◽

Martha L. Bruce ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Mobile App ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Mental Health Interventions

Background: This study aimed to examine the effects of a 12-week multicomponent mobile app-delivered intervention, the Meru Health Program (MHP), on mental health quality of life (QoL) and loneliness among the middle-aged and older adults with depression symptoms.Methods: The eligible participants (M age = 57.06, SD = 11.26 years) were enrolled in the MHP, a therapist-supported mobile intervention. Using a non-randomized pre-post design, change in mental health QoL [WHO QoL Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) psychological health] and loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale) from baseline to post-treatment were examined. Time of enrollment [pre- vs. post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] was included as a between-subjects factor in the repeated measures analyses.Results: Forty-two participants enrolled prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; eight enrolled after the pandemic began. Among the pre-COVID-19 enrollees, increase in mental health QoL, F(1, 38) = 12.61, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.25 and decreases in loneliness emerged, F(1, 38) = 5.42, p = 0.025, η2 = 0.13. The changes in mental health QoL, but not loneliness, held for the combined sample, such as post-COVID-19 enrollees, F(1, 44) = 6.02, p = 0.018, η2 = 0.12. The regression analyses showed that increases in mindfulness were associated with the increased mental health QoL and decreased loneliness.Conclusion: Therapist-supported digital mental health interventions, such as the MHP, have the potential to improve mental health QoL and decrease loneliness among the middle-aged and older adults. The findings for loneliness may not hold during the periods of mandated isolation. Instead, therapists supporting digital interventions may need to tailor their approach to target loneliness.

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Economic Evaluations of Mental Health Programs for Children and Adolescents in the United States: A Systematic Review

10.31234/osf.io/mhe4w ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jenna Sung ◽

Corinne Kacmarek ◽

Jessica L. Schleider

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United States ◽

Economic Burden ◽

Evaluation Studies ◽

The United States ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Economic Evaluations ◽

Health Related ◽

Mental Health Interventions

The United States spent 201 billion dollars on mental health related concerns in 2013, ranking mental illness as the leading cause of disability and the single largest source of economic burden worldwide. With mental health-related treatment costs and economic burden only projected to rise, there is an increasing need for cost-inclusive evaluations of mental health interventions specific to the United States as economic evaluations across countries are not easily comparable. Thus, this systematic, descriptive review characterized the types of interventions, target populations, and the quality of 9 economic evaluation studies (e.g., cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit) of youth mental health services conducted in the United States from 2003 to 2019. Existing evaluations suggest that certain mental health interventions for youth, among the few that have been formally evaluated, may be cost-effective and cost-beneficial. However, the small number and mixed quality of eligible studies highlights a dearth of rigorously conductedeconomic evaluations on this topic, variability in cost and outcome assessment approaches, as well as the homogenous characteristics of interventions evaluated. Greater standardization is needed to increase confidence in these conclusions and generate a body of meaningful, quality research that has the potential to shape evidence-based mental health policy.

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