scholarly journals Adolescent Perspectives on How an Adjunctive Mobile App for Social Anxiety Treatment Impacts Treatment Engagement in Telehealth Group Therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 397
Author(s):  
Celine Lu ◽  
Wendy Chu ◽  
Shannon Madden ◽  
Bambang Parmanto ◽  
Jennifer Susan Silk
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Treatment Engagement ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Mental Health

Adjunctive mobile mental health apps to supplement mental health treatment have been growing in recent years given their ability to address treatment engagement barriers. However, few studies have explicitly examined how these mobile apps impact treatment engagement, and even fewer have investigated this topic through adolescents’ perspectives. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five adolescents who used an adjunctive mobile mental health app in combination with telehealth cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety. Using a multidimensional framework of treatment engagement, we elicited their perspectives on how the app impacted their engagement in telehealth group therapy and gathered their suggestions for improving the app. Using a consensual qualitative research approach, we learned that adolescents felt the app increased their comfort with others in therapy and their expectations about the effectiveness of mental health apps. They also indicated that the app prepared them for in-session participation and facilitated out-of-session skills practice. Adolescents had valuable suggestions such as adding app features to facilitate social connectedness between group members and adding appointment reminders in the app. This preliminary study highlights implications for future adjunctive mobile mental health app developers and researchers to increase adolescents’ treatment engagement in mental health services.

Pilot data of a brief veteran peer intervention and its relationship to mental health treatment engagement.

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Goetter ◽  
Eric Bui ◽  
Travis P. Weiner ◽  
Laura Lakin ◽  
Thomas Furlong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Treatment Engagement ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Pilot Data ◽  
Peer Intervention

Preferences toward digital and non-digital mental health treatment delivery formats: A survey of Indian college students (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akash Wasil ◽  
Tanvi Malhotra ◽  
Nandita Tuteja ◽  
Nivedita Nandakumar ◽  
Laleh Pandole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Treatment Delivery ◽  
Intervention Delivery ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Delivery Formats

BACKGROUND Digital mental health treatments have the potential to expand access to services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the uptake of interventions has been limited. Furthermore, the attitudes of those in LMICs toward intervention formats are rarely studied. OBJECTIVE To understand the attitudes of Indian college students toward a variety of digital and non-digital treatment delivery formats. METHODS Indian college students received descriptions of seven treatment delivery formats: unguided digital self-help, guided digital self-help, bibliotherapy, one-on-one therapy with a professional, one-on-one therapy with a lay provider, group therapy with a professional, and group therapy with a lay provider. They were asked to rate each delivery format on three domains: a) perceived helpfulness, b) availability, and c) willingness to try. RESULTS 95% of individuals were willing to try one-on-one therapy with a professional, 56% were willing to try one-on-one therapy with a lay counselor, participants were less willing to try group interventions than one-on-one interventions, and <50% were willing to try digital self-help interventions. Additionally, there was a strong association between willingness to try and ratings of helpfulness (r=0.61). Ratings were not associated with gender, age, or depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that one barrier limiting the uptake of digital interventions in LMICs is that individuals do not perceive them as helpful. Efforts to disseminate information about non-traditional intervention delivery formats and their benefits are warranted.

scholarly journals mHealth in the Wild: Using Novel Data to Examine the Reach, Use, and Impact of PTSD Coach

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason E Owen ◽  
Beth K Jaworski ◽  
Eric Kuhn ◽  
Kerry N Makin-Byrd ◽  
Kelly M Ramsey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Public Health Impact ◽  
User Reviews ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Mental Health ◽  
First Time

Background A majority of Americans (58%) now use smartphones, making it possible for mobile mental health apps to reach large numbers of those who are living with untreated, or under-treated, mental health symptoms. Although early trials suggest positive effects for mobile health (mHealth) interventions, little is known about the potential public health impact of mobile mental health apps. Objective The purpose of this study was to characterize reach, use, and impact of “PTSD Coach”, a free, broadly disseminated mental health app for managing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods Using a mixed-methods approach, aggregate mobile analytics data from 153,834 downloads of PTSD Coach were analyzed in conjunction with 156 user reviews. Results Over 60% of users engaged with PTSD Coach on multiple occasions (mean=6.3 sessions). User reviews reflected gratitude for the availability of the app and being able to use the app specifically during moments of need. PTSD Coach users reported relatively high levels of trauma symptoms (mean PTSD Checklist Score=57.2, SD=15.7). For users who chose to use a symptom management tool, distress declined significantly for both first-time users (mean=1.6 points, SD=2.6 on the 10-point distress thermometer) and return-visit users (mean=2.0, SD=2.3). Analysis of app session data identified common points of attrition, with only 80% of first-time users reaching the app’s home screen and 37% accessing one of the app’s primary content areas. Conclusions These findings suggest that PTSD Coach has achieved substantial and sustained reach in the population, is being used as intended, and has been favorably received. PTSD Coach is a unique platform for the delivery of mobile mental health education and treatment, and continuing evaluation and improvement of the app could further strengthen its public health impact.

scholarly journals Examining ethnic disparities in provider and parent in-session participation engagement

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey S. Dickson ◽  
Sasha M. Zeedyk ◽  
Jonathan Martinez ◽  
Rachel Haine-Schlagel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Parent Participation ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Treatment Engagement ◽  
Latino Families ◽  
Observational Coding ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Well-documented ethnic disparities exist in the identification and provision of quality services among children receiving community-based mental health services. These disparities extend to parent treatment engagement, an important component of effective mental health services. Currently, little is known about differences in how providers support parents’ participation in treatment and the degree to which parents actively participate in it. The purpose of this paper is to examine potential differences in both provider and parent in-session participation behaviours. Design/methodology/approach Participants included 17 providers providing standard community-based mental health treatment for 18 parent-child dyads, with 44 per cent of the dyads self-identifying as Hispanic/Latino. In-session participation was measured with the parent participation engagement in child psychotherapy and therapist alliance, collaboration, and empowerment strategies observational coding systems. Findings Overall, results indicate significantly lower levels of parent participation behaviours among Hispanic/Latino families compared to their Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino counterparts. No significant differences were seen in providers’ in-session behaviours to support parent participation across Hispanic/Latino and Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino families. Research limitations/implications These findings contribute to the literature on ethnic differences in parent treatment engagement by utilising measures of in-session provider and parent behaviours and suggest that further investigation is warranted to documenting and understanding ethnic disparities in parents’ participation in community-based child mental health treatment. Originality/value This paper contributes to the evaluation of differences in parent treatment engagement through demonstrating the utility of an in-session observational coding system as a measure of treatment engagement.

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