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Marshall P, Booth M, Coole M, Fothergill L, Glossop Z, Haines J, Harding A, Johnston R, Jones S, Lodge C, Machin K, Meacock R, Nielson K, Puddephatt JA, Rakic T, Rayson P, Robinson H, Rycroft-Malone J, Shryane N, Swithenbank Z, Wise S, Lobban F. Understanding the Impacts of Online Mental Health Peer Support Forums: Realist Synthesis. JMIR Ment Health 2024; 11:e55750. [PMID: 38722680 PMCID: PMC11117133 DOI: 10.2196/55750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Online forums are widely used for mental health peer support. However, evidence of their safety and effectiveness is mixed. Further research focused on articulating the contexts in which positive and negative impacts emerge from forum use is required to inform innovations in implementation. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to develop a realist program theory to explain the impacts of online mental health peer support forums on users. METHODS We conducted a realist synthesis of literature published between 2019 and 2023 and 18 stakeholder interviews with forum staff. RESULTS Synthesis of 102 evidence sources and 18 interviews produced an overarching program theory comprising 22 context-mechanism-outcome configurations. Findings indicate that users' perceptions of psychological safety and the personal relevance of forum content are foundational to ongoing engagement. Safe and active forums that provide convenient access to information and advice can lead to improvements in mental health self-efficacy. Within the context of welcoming and nonjudgmental communities, users may benefit from the opportunity to explore personal difficulties with peers, experience reduced isolation and normalization of mental health experiences, and engage in mutual encouragement. The program theory highlights the vital role of moderators in creating facilitative online spaces, stimulating community engagement, and limiting access to distressing content. A key challenge for organizations that host mental health forums lies in balancing forum openness and anonymity with the need to enforce rules, such as restrictions on what users can discuss, to promote community safety. CONCLUSIONS This is the first realist synthesis of online mental health peer support forums. The novel program theory highlights how successful implementation depends on establishing protocols for enhancing safety and strategies for maintaining user engagement to promote forum sustainability. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42022352528; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=352528.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Marshall
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Millissa Booth
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Coole
- School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren Fothergill
- Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Glossop
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Jade Haines
- IT Corporate Services, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Harding
- Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Rose Johnston
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Jones
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Lodge
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Machin
- Survivor Research Network, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Meacock
- Division of Population Health, Health Services Research & Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kristi Nielson
- Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Jo-Anne Puddephatt
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
| | - Tamara Rakic
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Rayson
- School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Heather Robinson
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Jo Rycroft-Malone
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Nick Shryane
- Social Statistics, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Swithenbank
- Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Wise
- IT Corporate Services, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Lobban
- Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
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Han A, Malone LA, Lee HY, Gong J, Henry R, Zhu X, Yuen HK. The use of ecological momentary assessment for family caregivers of adults with chronic conditions: A systematic review. Health Psychol Res 2024; 12:93907. [PMID: 38435338 PMCID: PMC10908591 DOI: 10.52965/001c.93907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as a real-time data collection method can provide insight into the daily experiences of family caregivers. Purpose This systematic review aimed to synthesize studies involving EMA completed by family caregivers of adults with chronic conditions. Methods A systematic search was conducted within six databases for articles published from the inception of the database through September 2023. We extracted the characteristics of the included studies and data on EMA-specific methods to determine the quality of the included studies. Results A total of 12 studies involving EMA completed by family caregivers of adults with chronic conditions were identified, with almost all studies focused on caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's or dementia-related conditions. The average compliance rate across the included studies was 75%, below the recommended rate. In addition, most of the included studies did not collect the family caregivers' daily activities and care contexts in their responses (i.e., affect, stress, well-being, care demand, and fatigue) to the EMA prompts. Discussion This review showed that using EMA to collect information on family caregivers of adults with chronic health conditions appeared feasible and acceptable. However, the methodology or design of using EMA to collect caregiver information in this population is still preliminary. The limited number of existing studies that have used EMA to capture the daily experiences of family caregivers does not provide key information that could improve understanding of caregivers' emotional experiences and well-being in real-life situations. We identified gaps in the literature that warrant additional EMA studies for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Areum Han
- Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham
| | - Laurie A Malone
- Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham
| | | | - Jiaqi Gong
- Department of Computer Science University of Alabama
| | - Ryan Henry
- Department of Computer Science University of Alabama
| | - Xishi Zhu
- Department of Computer Science University of Alabama
| | - Hon K Yuen
- Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham
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van Doorn M, Monsanto A, Wang CL, Verfaillie SCJ, van Amelsvoort TAMJ, Popma A, Jaspers MWM, Öry F, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Gleeson JF, Nieman DH. The Effects of a Digital, Transdiagnostic, Clinically and Peer-Moderated Treatment Platform for Young People With Emerging Mental Health Complaints: Repeated Measures Within-Subjects Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2023; 11:e50636. [PMID: 38090802 PMCID: PMC10753424 DOI: 10.2196/50636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To address the growing prevalence of youth mental health problems, early intervention is crucial to minimize individual, societal, and economic impacts. Indicative prevention aims to target emerging mental health complaints before the onset of a full-blown disorder. When intervening at this early stage, individuals are more responsive to treatment, resulting in cost-effective outcomes. The Moderated Online Social Therapy platform, which was successfully implemented and proven effective in Australia, is a digital, peer- and clinically moderated treatment platform designed for young people. The Netherlands was the first country outside Australia to implement this platform, under the name Engage Young People Early (ENYOY). It has the potential to reduce the likelihood of young people developing serious mental health disorders. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the effects on young people using the ENYOY-platform in relation to psychological distress, psychosocial functioning, and positive health parameters. METHODS Dutch-speaking young people with emerging mental health complaints (N=131) participated in the ENYOY-platform for 6 months in a repeated measures within-subjects study. Psychological distress, psychosocial functioning, and positive health parameters were assessed at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted and adjusted for age, sex, therapy, and community activity. The Reliable Change Index and Clinically Significant Index were computed to compare the baseline with the 6- and 12-month measurements. The missing data rate was 22.54% and the dropout rate 62.6% (82/131). RESULTS The primary analysis (77/131, 58.8%) showed that psychological distress decreased and psychosocial functioning improved over time with large effect sizes (P<.001 in both cases; ηp2=0.239 and 0.318, respectively) independent of age (P=.76 for psychological distress and P=.48 for psychosocial functioning), sex (P=.24 and P=.88, respectively), therapy activity (P=.49 and P=.80, respectively), or community activity (P=.59 and P=.48, respectively). Similarly, secondary analyses (51/131, 38.9%) showed significant effects of time on the quality of life, well-being, and meaningfulness positive health parameters (P<.05; ηp2=0.062, 0.140, and 0.121, respectively). Improvements in all outcome measures were found between baseline and 3 and 6 months (P≤.001-.01; d=0.23-0.62) and sustained at follow-up (P=.18-.97; d=0.01-0.16). The Reliable Change Index indicated psychological distress improvements in 38% (39/102) of cases, no change in 54.9% (56/102) of cases, and worsening in 5.9% (6/102) of cases. Regarding psychosocial functioning, the percentages were 50% (51/102), 43.1% (44/102), and 6.9% (7/102), respectively. The Clinically Significant Index demonstrated clinically significant changes in 75.5% (77/102) of cases for distress and 89.2% (91/102) for functioning. CONCLUSIONS This trial demonstrated that the ENYOY-platform holds promise as a transdiagnostic intervention for addressing emerging mental health complaints among young people in the Netherlands and laid the groundwork for further clinical research. It would be of great relevance to expand the population on and service delivery of the platform. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) RR2-10.1186/s12888-021-03315-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilon van Doorn
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anne Monsanto
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Antes, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Chen Lu Wang
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sander C J Verfaillie
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
- GGZ inGeest Specialized Mental Health Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Arne Popma
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Monique W M Jaspers
- Department of Medical Informatics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Mario Alvarez-Jimenez
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Orygen, Melbourne, Australia
| | - John F Gleeson
- Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre and School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Dorien H Nieman
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Location AMC), Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Gleeson J, Lin A, Koval P, Hopkins L, Denborough P, Lederman R, Herrman H, Bendall S, Eleftheriadis D, Cotton S, Perry Y, Kaess M, Alvarez-Jimenez M. Moderated Online Social Therapy for Carers of Early Psychosis Clients in Real-World Settings: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health 2023; 10:e47722. [PMID: 37672335 PMCID: PMC10512122 DOI: 10.2196/47722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Family carers of youth recovering from early psychosis experience significant stress; however, access to effective family interventions is poor. Digital interventions provide a promising solution. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate across multiple Australian early psychosis services the effectiveness of a novel, web-based early psychosis intervention for carers. METHODS In this cluster randomized controlled trial conducted across multiple Australian early psychosis services, our digital moderated online social therapy for carers (Altitudes) plus enhanced family treatment as usual (TAU) was compared with TAU alone on the primary outcome of perceived stress and secondary outcomes including mental health symptoms and family variables at the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS Eighty-six caregivers were randomized and data were available for 74 young people in their care. Our primary hypothesis that carers randomized to Altitudes+TAU would report greater improvements in perceived stress at follow-up compared with carers randomized to TAU alone was not supported, with the TAU alone group showing more improvement. For secondary outcomes, the TAU alone group showed improved mindfulness over time. Regardless of group assignment, we observed improvements in satisfaction with life, quality of life, emotional overinvolvement, and burden of care. In contrast, hair cortisol concentration increased. Post hoc analyses revealed more contact with early psychosis services in the intervention group compared to TAU alone and that improvements in perceived stress and social support were associated with use of the intervention in the Altitudes+TAU group. In this study, 80% (12/15) reported a positive experience with Altitudes and 93% (14/15) would recommend it to others. CONCLUSIONS Our trial did not show a treatment effect for Altitudes in perceived stress. However, our post hoc analysis indicated that the amount of use of Altitudes related to improvements in stress and social support. Additional design work is indicated to continue users' engagement and to significantly improve outcomes in problem-solving, communication, and self-care. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12617000942358; https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=ACTRN12617000942358.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Gleeson
- Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Australia
| | - Ashleigh Lin
- University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia
| | - Peter Koval
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | | | | | - Reeva Lederman
- School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Helen Herrman
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Sarah Bendall
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Dina Eleftheriadis
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Sue Cotton
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Yael Perry
- University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia
| | - Michael Kaess
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mario Alvarez-Jimenez
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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