mHealth as Tools for Development in Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 193-215
Author(s):  
Gloria Ejehiohen Iyawa ◽  
Julie Langan-Martin ◽  
Stephen Sevalie ◽  
Wanano Masikara
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Medical Practitioner ◽  
Healthcare Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Study Approach

This chapter provides an assessment of studies on mobile health (mHealth) tools for development in addressing diseases relating to mental health, informs the current publications trends, identifies research gaps in the existing literature, and suggests a future research agenda that can help address these gaps. We, therefore, assessed empirical studies using a Systematic Mapping Study approach. We searched five academic databases as well as Google Search Engine and Google Scholar. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 54 full-text papers were included in this chapter. The findings suggest a growing trend in the use of various mHealth tools for mental health, such as mobile apps and text messaging. The findings also suggest that the responsibility of health monitoring and management can be shared between the medical practitioner and the patient in mental healthcare. Research gaps were identified and areas for future research are proposed.

mHealth as Tools for Development in Mental Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 58-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Ejehiohen Iyawa ◽  
Julie Langan-Martin ◽  
Stephen Sevalie ◽  
Wanano Masikara
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Medical Practitioner ◽  
Healthcare Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Study Approach

This chapter provides an assessment of studies on mobile health (mHealth) tools for development in addressing diseases relating to mental health, informs the current publications trends, identifies research gaps in the existing literature, and suggests a future research agenda that can help address these gaps. We, therefore, assessed empirical studies using a Systematic Mapping Study approach. We searched five academic databases as well as Google Search Engine and Google Scholar. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 54 full-text papers were included in this chapter. The findings suggest a growing trend in the use of various mHealth tools for mental health, such as mobile apps and text messaging. The findings also suggest that the responsibility of health monitoring and management can be shared between the medical practitioner and the patient in mental healthcare. Research gaps were identified and areas for future research are proposed.

Behavior change techniques in mobile apps targeting self-harm in young people: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Panagiotopoulou ◽  
Celeste Peiris ◽  
Daniel Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Behavior Change Techniques ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Self Harm

Abstract Despite the high prevalence of self-harm among young people, as well as their extensive use of mobile apps for seeking support with their mental healthcare, it is unclear whether the design of mobile apps aimed at targeting self-harm is underpinned by behavior change techniques (BCTs). To systematically analyze and identify (a) what BCTs and (b) what theories are present in self-harm apps for young people in an attempt to understand their active components. Systematic searches in Apple store, followed by thorough screening, were conducted to identify free mobile apps targeting self-harm in young people. Five apps met the inclusion criteria and were used by trained researchers, who coded identified features against the BCT Taxonomy V1. Despite the majority of apps being underpinned by principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), no other information is available about specific theories underpinning these apps. Nineteen of the 93 BCTs were identified across the five apps. The most frequently used BCT was “Distraction” (54.2%), offering ideas for activities to distract users from self-harming. Other techniques that were used often were “Social Support (unspecified)” (27.0%) and “Behavior Substitution” (10.6%). This study provides the first analysis of BCTs present in mental health apps which are designed to target the reduction of self-harm in young people. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the apps, as well as assess the effectiveness of the BCTs present.

scholarly journals Development and acceptability of an educational video about a smoking cessation quitline for use in adult outpatient mental healthcare

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina S Kazan ◽  
Laura M Perry ◽  
Wasef F Atiya ◽  
Hallie M Voss ◽  
Seowoo Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Transtheoretical Model ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Advisory Board ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Educational Video ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Outpatient Mental Health ◽  
Preparation Phase

Abstract Tobacco use is a leading preventable cause of early mortality and is prevalent among adults with mental health diagnoses, especially in the southern USA. Increasing cessation resources in outpatient mental health care and targeting individuals most receptive to changing their behavior may improve cessation. Drawing on the transtheoretical model, our goals were to develop an educational video about the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline and evaluate its acceptability. We designed the video with knowledge derived from Louisiana-specific data (2016 Louisiana Adult Tobacco Survey, N = 6,469) and stakeholder feedback. Bivariate associations between demographic/tobacco-use characteristics and participants’ stage of quitting (preparation phase vs. nonpreparation phase) were conducted, which informed design elements of the video. Four stakeholder advisory board meetings involving current smokers, mental health clinicians, and public health advocates convened to provide iterative feedback on the intervention. Our stakeholder advisory board (n = 10) and external stakeholders (n = 20) evaluated intervention acceptability. We found that 17.9% of Louisiana adults were current smokers, with 46.9% of them in the preparation phase of quitting. Using insights from data and stakeholders, we succeeded in producing a 2-min video about the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline which incorporated three themes identified as important by stakeholders: positivity, relatability, and approachability. Supporting acceptability, 96.7% of stakeholders rated the video as helpful and engaging. This study demonstrates the acceptability of combining theory, existing data, and iterative stakeholder feedback to develop a quitline educational video. Future research should examine whether the video can be used to reduce tobacco use.

scholarly journals Pathways to Mental Health–Related Treatment Among Caregiving Spouses

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 358-358
Author(s):  
Hyojin Choi ◽  
Kristin Litzelman ◽  
Molly Maher ◽  
Autumn Harnish
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Provider Type ◽  
Hospital Emergency Room ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Spouses of cancer survivors are 33% less likely to receive guideline-concordant depression treatment than other married adults. However, depression is only one of many manifestations of psychological distress for caregivers. This exploratory study sought to assess the paths by which caregivers access mental health-related treatment. Using nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, we assessed the proportion of caregivers who received a mental health-related prescription or psychotherapy visit across care settings (office based versus outpatient hospital, emergency room, or inpatient visit), provider type (psychiatric, primary care, other specialty, or other), and visit purpose (regular checkup, diagnosis and treatment, follow-up, psychotherapy, other). In addition, we assessed the health condition(s) associated with the treatment. The findings indicate that a plurality of caregivers accessed mental health-related treatment through an office-based visit (90%) with a primary care provider (47%). A minority accessed this care through a psychologist or psychiatrist (11%) or a physician with another specialty (12%) or other provider types. Nearly a third accessed treatment as part of a regular check-up (32%). These patterns did not differ from the general population after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Interestingly, mental health-related treatments were associated with a mental health diagnosis in only a minority of caregivers. The findings confirm the importance of regular primary care as a door way to mental healthcare, and highlight the range of potential paths to care. Future research will examine the correlates of accessing care across path types.

Predicting Uptake of the COVID Coach App Among U.S. Military Veterans: A Funnel Analysis Using a Probability-Based Panel (Preprint)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth K Jaworski ◽  
Katherine Taylor ◽  
Kelly M Ramsey ◽  
Adrienne J Heinz ◽  
Sarah Steinmetz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Managing Stress ◽  
Usage Data

BACKGROUND Although the pandemic has not led to a uniform increase of mental health concerns among older adults, there is evidence to suggest that some older veterans did experience an exacerbation of pre-existing mental health conditions, and that mental health difficulties were associated with a lack of social support and increasing numbers of pandemic-related stressors. Mobile mental health apps are scalable, may be a helpful resource for managing stress during the pandemic and beyond, and could potentially provide services that are not accessible due to the pandemic. However, overall comfort with mobile devices and factors influencing the uptake and usage of mobile apps during the pandemic among older veterans are not well known. COVID Coach is a free, evidence-informed mobile app designed for pandemic-related stress. Public usage data have been evaluated, but its uptake and usage among older veterans has not been explored. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to characterize smartphone ownership rates among U.S. veterans, identify veteran characteristics associated with downloading and use of COVID Coach, and characterize key content usage within the app. METHODS Data were analyzed from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS), which surveyed a nationally representative, prospective cohort of 3,078 U.S. military veterans before and one year into the pandemic. The NHRVS sample was drawn from KnowledgePanel®, a research panel of more than 50,000 households maintained by Ipsos, Inc. Median time to complete the survey was nearly 32 minutes. The research version of COVID Coach was offered to all veterans who completed the peri-pandemic follow-up assessment on a mobile device (n = 814; weighted 34.2% of total sample). App usage data from all respondents who downloaded the app (n = 34; weighted 3.3% of the mobile completers sample) were collected between November 14, 2020 and November 7, 2021. RESULTS We found that most U.S. veterans own smartphones and veterans with higher education, greater number of adverse childhood experiences, higher extraversion, and greater severity of pandemic-related PTSD symptoms were more likely to download COVID Coach. Although uptake and usage of COVID Coach was relatively low (3.3% of eligible participants, n = 34), 50% of the participants returned to the app for more than one day of use. The interactive tools for managing stress were used most frequently. CONCLUSIONS Although the coronavirus pandemic has increased the need for and creation of digital mental health tools, these resources may require tailoring for older veteran populations. Future research is needed to better understand how to optimize digital mental health tools, such as apps, to ensure uptake and usage among older adults, particularly those who have experienced traumas across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Patient Smartphone Ownership and Interest in Mobile Apps to Monitor Symptoms of Mental Health Conditions: A Survey in Four Geographically Distinct Psychiatric Clinics

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. e5 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Torous ◽  
Steven Richard Chan ◽  
Shih Yee-Marie Tan ◽  
Jacob Behrens ◽  
Ian Mathew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychiatric Outpatients ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Diverse Patient Population ◽  
Mobile Mental Health

Background Despite growing interest in mobile mental health and utilization of smartphone technology to monitor psychiatric symptoms, there remains a lack of knowledge both regarding patient ownership of smartphones and their interest in using such to monitor their mental health. Objective To provide data on psychiatric outpatients’ prevalence of smartphone ownership and interest in using their smartphones to run applications to monitor their mental health. Methods We surveyed 320 psychiatric outpatients from four clinics around the United States in order to capture a geographically and socioeconomically diverse patient population. These comprised a state clinic in Massachusetts (n=108), a county clinic in California (n=56), a hybrid public and private clinic in Louisiana (n=50), and a private/university clinic in Wisconsin (n=106). Results Smartphone ownership and interest in utilizing such to monitor mental health varied by both clinic type and age with overall ownership of 62.5% (200/320), which is slightly higher than the average United States’ rate of ownership of 58% in January 2014. Overall patient interest in utilizing smartphones to monitor symptoms was 70.6% (226/320). Conclusions These results suggest that psychiatric outpatients are interested in using their smartphones to monitor their mental health and own the smartphones capable of running mental healthcare related mobile applications.

scholarly journals Identifying research priorities for patient safety in mental health: an international expert Delphi study

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e021361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay H Dewa ◽  
Kevin Murray ◽  
Bethan Thibaut ◽  
Sonny Christian Ramtale ◽  
Sheila Adam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Service User ◽  
Patient Perspective ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
A Priority

ObjectivePhysical healthcare has dominated the patient safety field; research in mental healthcare is not as extensive but findings from physical healthcare cannot be applied to mental healthcare because it delivers specialised care that faces unique challenges. Therefore, a clearer focus and recognition of patient safety in mental health as a distinct research area is still needed. The study aim is to identify future research priorities in the field of patient safety in mental health.DesignSemistructured interviews were conducted with the experts to ascertain their views on research priorities in patient safety in mental health. A three-round online Delphi study was used to ascertain consensus on 117 research priority statements.Setting and participantsAcademic and service user experts from the USA, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore were included.Main outcome measuresAgreement in research priorities on a five-point scale.ResultsSeventy-nine statements achieved consensus (>70%). Three out of the top six research priorities were patient driven; experts agreed that understanding the patient perspective on safety planning, on self-harm and on medication was important.ConclusionsThis is the first international Delphi study to identify research priorities in safety in the mental field as determined by expert academic and service user perspectives. A reasonable consensus was obtained from international perspectives on future research priorities in patient safety in mental health; however, the patient perspective on their mental healthcare is a priority. The research agenda for patient safety in mental health identified here should be informed by patient safety science more broadly and used to further establish this area as a priority in its own right. The safety of mental health patients must have parity with that of physical health patients to achieve this.

scholarly journals State of mental healthcare systems in Eastern Europe: do we really understand what is going on?

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 96-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dzmitry Krupchanka ◽  
Petr Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
World Health ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current State ◽  
Development Analysis

The article examines the current state of mental healthcare systems in countries of Eastern Europe and derives implications for future research and service development. Analysis of available statistics from the World Health Organization's Mental Health Atlas suggests the need for better-quality data collection. Nonetheless, there appear to be insufficient resources allocated to mental health, lack of involvement of service users in policy-making and, to a large extent, systems continue to rely on mental hospitals. Based on the data presented, a set of directions for future reforms was drafted.

scholarly journals Identification of Some Research Gaps in Green Human Resource Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Hewapathirana, R. A. ◽  
Opatha, H. H. D. N. P. ◽  
Prasadini Gamage
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Green Human Resource Management

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) is increasingly considered as a critical branch of Human Resource Management (HRM) and it is still an emerging field of research that is interesting and highly instrumental in creating and enhancing natural environmental sustainability. This research paper is a systematic attempt to find out some research gaps in GHRM in order to carry out future empirical studies through the adoption of desk research strategy. An extensive literature review was done and it resulted in identifying nine research gaps in GHRM. Among the nine research gaps, two gaps are empirical, six gaps are both theoretical and empirical, and one gap is methodological. Future research studies could be designed and carried out in order to fill these identified research gaps.

scholarly journals Epidemiology of sleep disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic scoping review protocol

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samia Tasnim ◽  
Mariya Rahman ◽  
Priyanka Pawar ◽  
Liye Zou ◽  
Abida Sultana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sleep Disorders ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scoping Reviews

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is impacting human health globally. In addition to physical health problems, a growing burden of mental health problems has become a global concern amid this pandemic. Sleep disorders are major mental health problems associated with increased psychosocial stressors; however, no research synthesis is available on the epidemiology of sleep disorders. In this systematic scoping review, we aim to assess the current evidence on the epidemiological burden, associated factors, and interventions from the existing literature on sleep disorders. Methods: We will search seven major health databases and additional sources to identify, evaluate, and synthesize empirical studies on the prevalence and correlates of sleep disorders and available interventions addressing the same. We will use the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology for Scoping Review and report the findings using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Conclusion: This review will identify the epidemiological burden of and interventions for sleep disorders. The findings of this review will be widely communicated with the research and professional community to facilitate future research and practice.

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