TY - JOUR
T1 - Can an Emoji a Day Keep the Doctor Away? An Explorative Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study to Develop a Self-Help App for Youth With Mental Health Problems
AU - Van Dam, Levi
AU - Rietstra, Sianne
AU - Van der Drift, Eva
AU - Stams, Geert Jan J.M.
AU - Van der Mei, Rob
AU - Mahfoud, Maria
AU - Popma, Arne
AU - Schlossberg, Eric
AU - Pentland, Alex
AU - Reid, Todd G.
PY - 2019/8/23
Y1 - 2019/8/23
N2 - Today’s smartphones allow for a wide range of “big data” measurement, for example, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), whereby behaviours are repeatedly assessed within a person’s natural environment. With this type of data, we can better understand – and predict – risk for behavioral and health issues and opportunities for (self-monitoring) interventions. In this mixed-methods feasibility study, through convenience sampling we collected data from 32 participants (aged 16–24) over a period of three months. To gain more insight into the app experiences of youth with mental health problems, we interviewed a subsample of 10 adolescents who received psycthological treatment. The results from this feasibility study indicate that emojis) can be used to identify positive and negative feelings, and individual pattern analyses of emojis may be useful for clinical purposes. While adolescents receiving mental health care are positive about future applications, these findings also highlight some caveats, such as possible drawback of inaccurate representation and incorrect predictions of emotional states. Therefore, at this stage, the app should always be combined with professional counseling. Results from this small pilot study warrant replication with studies of substantially larger sample size.
AB - Today’s smartphones allow for a wide range of “big data” measurement, for example, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), whereby behaviours are repeatedly assessed within a person’s natural environment. With this type of data, we can better understand – and predict – risk for behavioral and health issues and opportunities for (self-monitoring) interventions. In this mixed-methods feasibility study, through convenience sampling we collected data from 32 participants (aged 16–24) over a period of three months. To gain more insight into the app experiences of youth with mental health problems, we interviewed a subsample of 10 adolescents who received psycthological treatment. The results from this feasibility study indicate that emojis) can be used to identify positive and negative feelings, and individual pattern analyses of emojis may be useful for clinical purposes. While adolescents receiving mental health care are positive about future applications, these findings also highlight some caveats, such as possible drawback of inaccurate representation and incorrect predictions of emotional states. Therefore, at this stage, the app should always be combined with professional counseling. Results from this small pilot study warrant replication with studies of substantially larger sample size.
KW - adolescence
KW - ecological momentary assessment
KW - emojis
KW - mobile health interventions
KW - youth at risk
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072737134&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85072737134&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00593
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00593
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85072737134
SN - 1664-0640
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry
M1 - 593
ER -