A randomized controlled trial on a smartphone self-help application (Be Good to Yourself) to reduce depressive symptoms

TY - JOUR

T1 - A randomized controlled trial on a smartphone self-help application (Be Good to Yourself) to reduce depressive symptoms

AU - Lüdtke, Thies

AU - Pult, Lilian Klara

AU - Schröder, Johanna

AU - Moritz, Steffen

AU - Bücker, Lara

N1 - Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2018/11

Y1 - 2018/11

N2 - Depressive symptoms are common, yet only a subgroup of individuals receive adequate treatment. To reduce the treatment gap, several online self-help programs have been developed, yielding small to moderate effects. We developed a smartphone self-help application addressing depressive symptoms. We sought to evaluate its feasibility and efficacy in participants reporting a subjective need for help (a diagnosis of depression was not mandatory). We conducted a randomized controlled trial (N = 90). The primary outcome was a reduction of depressive symptoms measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Secondary outcomes included improved self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF). The intervention group obtained access to the application for four weeks, the wait-list group received access after the post assessment. No group differences emerged in either outcome in intention-to-treat analyses. Per protocol analyses with frequent users (i.e., several times a week or more) yielded a small effect size (η2p = 0.049) at trend level on the reduction of depressive symptoms in favor of the treatment group. However, 39% of the participants did not use the application frequently. Mobile self-help applications represent a promising addition to existing treatments, but it is important to increase patients' motivation to use them.

AB - Depressive symptoms are common, yet only a subgroup of individuals receive adequate treatment. To reduce the treatment gap, several online self-help programs have been developed, yielding small to moderate effects. We developed a smartphone self-help application addressing depressive symptoms. We sought to evaluate its feasibility and efficacy in participants reporting a subjective need for help (a diagnosis of depression was not mandatory). We conducted a randomized controlled trial (N = 90). The primary outcome was a reduction of depressive symptoms measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Secondary outcomes included improved self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF). The intervention group obtained access to the application for four weeks, the wait-list group received access after the post assessment. No group differences emerged in either outcome in intention-to-treat analyses. Per protocol analyses with frequent users (i.e., several times a week or more) yielded a small effect size (η2p = 0.049) at trend level on the reduction of depressive symptoms in favor of the treatment group. However, 39% of the participants did not use the application frequently. Mobile self-help applications represent a promising addition to existing treatments, but it is important to increase patients' motivation to use them.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.113

DO - 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.113

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 30273901

VL - 269

SP - 753

EP - 762

JO - PSYCHIAT RES

JF - PSYCHIAT RES

SN - 0165-1781

ER -