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MindKind: A mixed-methods protocol for the feasibility of global digital mental health studies in young people. Wellcome Open Res 2022; 6:275. [PMID: 35686088 PMCID: PMC9160707 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17167.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: While an estimated 14-20% of young adults experience mental health conditions worldwide, the best strategies for prevention and management are not fully understood. The ubiquity of smartphone use among young people makes them excellent candidates for collecting data about lived experiences and their relationships to mental health. However, not much is known about the factors affecting young peoples’ willingness to share information about their mental health. Objective: We aim to understand the data governance and engagement strategies influencing young peoples’ (aged 16-24) participation in app-based studies of mental health. We hypothesize that willingness to participate in research is influenced by involvement in how their data is collected, shared, and used. Methods: Here, we describe the MindKind Study, which employs mixed methods to understand the feasibility of global, smartphone-based studies of youth mental health. A pilot 12-week app-based substudy will query participants’ willingness to engage with remote mental health studies. Participants will be randomized into one of four different data governance models designed to understand their preferences, as well as the acceptability of models that allow them more or less control over how their data are accessed and used. Enrolees will receive one of two different engagement strategies. A companion qualitative study will employ a deliberative democracy approach to examine the preferences, concerns and expectations of young people, with respect to remote mental health research. We also detail our engagement with young people as co-researchers in this study. This pilot study is being conducted in India, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Conclusions: This study is expected to generate new insights into the feasibility of, and best practices for, remote smartphone-based studies of mental health in youth and represents an important step toward understanding which approaches could help people better manage their mental health.
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Sieber C, Chiavi D, Haag C, Kaufmann M, Horn AB, Dressel H, Zecca C, Calabrese P, Pot C, Kamm CP, von Wyl V. Electronic Health Diary Campaigns to Complement Longitudinal Assessments in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: Nested Observational Study (Preprint). JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022; 10:e38709. [PMID: 36197713 PMCID: PMC9582921 DOI: 10.2196/38709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Electronic health diaries hold promise in complementing standardized surveys in prospective health studies but are fraught with numerous methodological challenges. Objective The study aimed to investigate participant characteristics and other factors associated with response to an electronic health diary campaign in persons with multiple sclerosis, identify recurrent topics in free-text diary entries, and assess the added value of structured diary entries with regard to current symptoms and medication intake when compared with survey-collected information. Methods Data were collected by the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry during a nested electronic health diary campaign and during a regular semiannual Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry follow-up survey serving as comparator. The characteristics of campaign participants were descriptively compared with those of nonparticipants. Diary content was analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 software (Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc) and descriptive keyword analyses. The similarities between structured diary data and follow-up survey data on health-related quality of life, symptoms, and medication intake were examined using the Jaccard index. Results Campaign participants (n=134; diary entries: n=815) were more often women, were not working full time, did not have a higher education degree, had a more advanced gait impairment, and were on average 5 years older (median age 52.5, IQR 43.25-59.75 years) than eligible nonparticipants (median age 47, IQR 38-55 years; n=524). Diary free-text entries (n=632; participants: n=100) most often contained references to the following standard Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count word categories: negative emotion (193/632, 30.5%), body parts or body functioning (191/632, 30.2%), health (94/632, 14.9%), or work (67/632, 10.6%). Analogously, the most frequently mentioned keywords (diary entries: n=526; participants: n=93) were “good,” “day,” and “work.” Similarities between diary data and follow-up survey data, collected 14 months apart (median), were high for health-related quality of life and stable for slow-changing symptoms such as fatigue or gait disorder. Similarities were also comparatively high for drugs requiring a regular application, including interferon beta-1a (Avonex) and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone), and for modern oral therapies such as fingolimod (Gilenya) and teriflunomide (Aubagio). Conclusions Diary campaign participation seemed dependent on time availability and symptom burden and was enhanced by reminder emails. Electronic health diaries are a meaningful complement to regular structured surveys and can provide more detailed information regarding medication use and symptoms. However, they should ideally be embedded into promotional activities or tied to concrete research study tasks to enhance regular and long-term participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Sieber
- Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Deborah Chiavi
- Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Haag
- Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Kaufmann
- Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea B Horn
- University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Competence Center of Gerontology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Dressel
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Zecca
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Pasquale Calabrese
- Neuropsychology and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Division of Molecular and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Pot
- Service of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Philipp Kamm
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Neurocenter, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Viktor von Wyl
- Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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MindKind: A mixed-methods protocol for the feasibility of global digital mental health studies in young people. Wellcome Open Res 2021; 6:275. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17167.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: While an estimated 14-20% of young adults experience mental health conditions worldwide, the best strategies for prevention and management are not fully understood. The ubiquity of smartphone use among young people makes them excellent candidates for collecting data about lived experiences and their relationships to mental health. However, not much is known about the factors affecting young peoples’ willingness to share information about their mental health. Objective: We aim to understand the data governance and engagement strategies influencing young peoples’ (aged 16-24) participation in app-based studies of mental health. We hypothesize that the willingness to participate in research is impacted by their ability to be involved in how their data is collected, shared, and used. Methods: Here, we describe the MindKind Study, which employs mixed methods to understand the feasibility of global, smartphone-based studies of youth mental health. A pilot 12-week app-based substudy will query participants’ willingness to engage with remote mental health studies. Participants will be randomized into one of four different data governance models designed to understand their preferences, as well as the acceptability of models that allow them more or less control over how their data are accessed and used. Enrolees will receive one of two different engagement strategies. A companion qualitative study will employ a deliberative democracy approach to examine the preferences, concerns and expectations of young people, with respect to remote mental health research. We also detail our engagement with young people as co-researchers in this study. This pilot study is being conducted in India, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Conclusions: This study is expected to generate new insights into the feasibility of, and best practices for, remote smartphone-based studies of mental health in youth and represents an important step toward understanding which approaches could help people better manage their mental health.
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