scholarly journals A Compassion-Focused Ecological Momentary Intervention for Enhancing Resilience in Help-Seeking Youth: Uncontrolled Pilot Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Rauschenberg ◽  
Benjamin Boecking ◽  
Isabell Paetzold ◽  
Koen Schruers ◽  
Anita Schick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Emotional Resilience ◽  
Ecological Momentary

BACKGROUND Digital interventions offer new avenues for low-threshold prevention and treatment in young people. Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) represent a powerful approach that allows for adaptive, real-time, and real-world delivery of intervention components in daily life by real-time processing of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data. Compassion-focused interventions (CFIs) may be particularly amenable to translation into an EMI to strengthen emotional resilience and modify putative risk mechanisms, such as stress sensitivity, in the daily lives of young help-seeking individuals. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the feasibility, safety, and initial therapeutic effects of a novel, accessible, transdiagnostic, ecological momentary CFI for improving emotional resilience to stress (<i>EMIcompass</i>). METHODS In this uncontrolled pilot study, help-seeking youth with psychotic, depressive, or anxiety symptoms were offered the EMIcompass intervention in addition to treatment as usual. The EMIcompass intervention consisted of a 3-week EMI (including enhancing, consolidating, and EMA-informed interactive tasks) administered through a mobile health app and three face-to-face sessions with a trained psychologist intended to provide guidance and training on the CFI exercises presented in the app (ie, training session, follow-up booster session, and review session). RESULTS In total, 10 individuals (mean age 20.3 years, SD 3.8; range 14-25) were included in the study. Most (8/10, 80%) participants were satisfied and reported a low burden of app usage. No adverse events were observed. In approximately one-third of all EMAs, individuals scored high on stress, negative affect, or threat anticipation during the intervention period, resulting in real-time, interactive delivery of the CFI intervention components in addition to weekly enhancing and daily consolidating tasks. Although the findings should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size, reduced stress sensitivity, momentary negative affect, and psychotic experiences, along with increased positive affect, were found at postintervention and the 4-week follow-up. Furthermore, reductions in psychotic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were found (<i>r</i>=0.30-0.65). CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide evidence on the feasibility and safety of the EMIcompass intervention for help-seeking youth and lend initial support to beneficial effects on stress sensitivity and mental health outcomes. An exploratory randomized controlled trial is warranted to establish the feasibility and preliminary evidence of its efficacy. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals An ecological momentary compassion-focused intervention for enhancing resilience in help-seeking youths: a pilot study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Rauschenberg ◽  
Benjamin Böcking ◽  
Isabell Pätzold ◽  
Koen Schruers ◽  
Anita Schick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Emotional Resilience ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Digital interventions offer new avenues for prevention and treatment in youth. Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) allow for adaptive and real-time delivery of intervention components in daily life. Compassion-focused interventions may be particularly amenable to translation into an EMI to strengthen emotional resilience in youth. We aimed to investigate initial therapeutic effects, feasibility, and safety of a novel, accessible, transdiagnostic, ecological momentary, compassion-focused intervention for improving emotional resilience (‘EMIcompass’) in an uncontrolled pilot study including help-seeking youth with psychotic, depressive, and/or anxiety symptoms. The EMIcompass intervention consisted of three sessions with a trained psychologist and a 3-week EMI administered through a mobile health app. In total, ten individuals (Mage=20.3 years) were included. Reduced stress sensitivity, momentary negative affect, and psychotic experiences as well as increased positive affect were found at post-intervention and 4-week follow-up. Further, reductions in psychotic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms of medium to large effect size were found (r=0.30-0.65). Most participants were satisfied (80%) and reported low burden of app usage. No adverse events were observed. Our findings provide initial evidence on beneficial effects, feasibility, and safety of the EMIcompass intervention in help-seeking youth. An exploratory randomised controlled trial is warranted to establish feasibility and preliminary evidence of efficacy.

scholarly journals Does Personalized Nutrition Increase Weight Loss Self-Efficacy?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1310-1310
Author(s):  
Lu Hu ◽  
Chan Wang ◽  
Huilin Li ◽  
Margaret Curran ◽  
Collin J Popp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Dietary Counseling ◽  
Macronutrient Distribution ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives We examined whether a diet personalized to reduce postprandial glycemic response (PPGR) to foods increases weight loss self-efficacy. Methods The Personal Diet Study is an ongoing clinical trial that aims to compare two weight loss diets: a one-size-fits-all, calorie-restricted, low-fat diet (Standardized) versus a diet having the same calorie restriction but utilizing a machine learning algorithm to predict and reduce PPGR (Personalized). Both groups receive the same behavioral counseling to enhance weight loss self-efficacy. Both groups self-monitor dietary intake using a mobile app, with Standardized receiving real-time feedback on calories and macronutrient distribution, and Personalized receiving real time feedback on calories, macronutrient distribution, and predicted PPGR. We examined changes in self-efficacy between baseline and 3 mos, using the 20-item Weight Efficacy Lifestyle questionnaire (WEL). Linear mixed models were used to analyze differences, adjusting for age, gender, and race. Results The analyses included the first 75 participants to complete 3-mos assessments (41 Personalized and 34 Standardized). The majority of the participants were white (69.3%), female (61.3%), with a mean age of 61.7 years (SD = 9.9) and BMI of 33.4 kg/m2 (SD = 4.8). At baseline, WEL scores were similar between the 2 groups [Standardized WEL: 118.8 (SD = 27.6); Personalized WEL: 124.9 (SD = 29.5), P = 0.47]. At 3 mos, the WEL score was significantly improved in both groups [16.0 (SD = 4.1) in the Standardized group (P &lt; 0.001) and 7.4 (SD = 3.7) in the Personalized group (P = 0.048)], but the between group difference was not significant (P = 0.12). Conclusions Personalized feedback on predicted PPGRs does not appear to enhance weight loss self-efficacy at 3 mos. The lack of significance may be related to the short follow-up period in these preliminary analyses, the small sample accrued to date, or the fact that WEL is designed to assess confidence in various situations (e.g., depressed, anxious) that may not be impacted by personalization. These analyses will be replicated with a larger sample using data obtained through the 6-mos follow-up. New self-efficacy measures may be required to assess the impact of personalized dietary counseling. Funding Sources This research was supported by the American Heart Association.

scholarly journals Development and Acceptability of a Method to Investigate Prescription Drug Misuse in Daily Life: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Papp ◽  
Shari M. Blumenstock ◽  
Chrystyna D Kouros
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Time Factors ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Prescription Drug Misuse ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Background: Prescription drug misuse and abuse is an established public health challenge, and young adults are particularly affected. There is a striking lack of real-time, naturalistic data collection assessing intentions to misuse and other precipitating factors at the time of actual misuse, leaving unknown under what conditions individuals are most likely to misuse prescription medications. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) applications and protocols designed to capture this information would accelerate and expand the knowledge base and could directly contribute to prevention and treatment efforts.Objective: The objectives in the current study were to (1) describe the development and administration of a mobile application and EMA protocol designed to collect real-time factors associated with college students’ prescription drug misuse intentions and behaviors in daily life; (2) present completion rates, compliance, acceptability, and reactivity associated with the EMA protocol for participants who endorsed recent prescription drug misuse at screening (n = 300; i.e., risk group) and those who did not (n = 55; i.e., non-risk group); and (3) establish initial construct validity by linking the reports of misuse behavior in daily life collected via the EMA app to prescription drug misuse reported on a standard survey.Methods: An EMA data collection app and protocol were designed specifically to capture hypothesized contextual factors along with prescription drug misuse intentions and behaviors in daily life. Using the protocol, young-adult college students (N = 352) completed signal- and event-contingent reports over a 28-day period. When intention to misuse a prescription drug was endorsed, a brief follow-up prompt was sent 15 minutes later to collect participants’ indications of whether or not misuse had occurred.Results: Risk-group participants were significantly more likely than non-risk counterparts to endorse any prescription drug misuse intentions in daily life, to complete one or more follow-up report, and to endorse any prescription drug misuse behavior in daily life on the follow-ups (P-values &lt; .001). Overall, participants demonstrated consistent engagement with the EMA procedures and returned an average of 74.5 reports (SD = 23.82, range 10-122). Participants in risk and non-risk groups did not differ in the number of reports they completed, the number of their reporting days, or their average completion rates (P-values &gt; .10). Results indicated some evidence of reactivity to the momentary reporting procedure. Participants reported uniformly positive experiences and remained highly engaged throughout the reporting protocol and broader study.Conclusions: The novel EMA app and protocol provide an effective way to assess real-time factors associated with prescription drug misuse intentions and behavior in daily life. The resulting investigations offer the potential to provide highly translatable information for research and prevention efforts.

scholarly journals Can Public Health Interventions Change Immediate and Long-Term Dietary Behaviours? Encouraging Evidence from a Pilot Study of the U.K. Change4Life Sugar Swaps Campaign

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Lamport ◽  
Szu-Yun Wu ◽  
Jenni Drever-Heaps ◽  
Orla Hugueniot ◽  
Daniel J. W. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Dietary Behaviour ◽  
Intervention Period ◽  
One Year

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the U.K. Change4Life Sugar Swaps campaign for improving nutritional intake in a small sample of families prior to the 2015 nationwide launch. A total of 49 participants from 14 families received information and materials during a two-week intervention period in November 2014 encouraging them to swap high sugar foods and drinks for low sugar alternatives. Daily dietary intake was reported with online food diaries over four stages, each two weeks in length: (i) baseline (no information provided), (ii) intervention when Sugar Swaps materials were accessible, (iii) immediate follow-up, and (iv) one year on from baseline. Data were analysed for sugar, glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, protein, salt, fibre, vitamin C, and energy. During the intervention, significant daily reductions of 32 g sugar, 11 g fat, and 236 kcal for each family member were observed, among others, and 61% of benefits achieved during the intervention period were maintained at immediate follow-up. Encouragingly, for children, reductions in sugar, sucrose, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, and energy were observed one year on. The Sugar Swaps Campaign is potentially an effective public health intervention for improving short- and long-term dietary behaviour for the whole family.

scholarly journals Ecological momentary assessment using patient smartphones: a pilot study in depression (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Delval ◽  
Redwan Maatoug ◽  
Terence Brochu ◽  
Benjamin Pitrat ◽  
Bruno Millet
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Or Efficiency ◽  
Patient’S Satisfaction ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Momentary Assessment ◽  
Graphic Rendering

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a promising tool in the management of psychiatric disorders and particularly depression; it allows for a real-time evaluation of symptoms and an earlier detection of relapse or efficiency of the treatment associated. The generalization of the smartphone in modern societies also offers a new large-scale support for EMA. Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility in terms of compliance as well as graphic rendering and user experience of an EMA with patients suffering from unipolar depression. Method: Eleven patients at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital were followed during 28 days with the help of a smartphone application installed on the patient’s personal smartphones. The results of the real-time collected data were reviewed during three follow-up consultations, by a psychiatrist interacting with the patient, on a “dashboard” aggregating all the patient’s data in a user-friendly manner. Results: Seven patients out of eleven have followed the protocol for its total length of time. Two patients continue to fill in the questionnaires without showing for the consultation which suggests that EMA is easy to use with a good compliance. The global response rate to the questionnaires was 58% with an average follow-up duration of 21 days out of 28 days in total. In light of the results in terms of graphic rendering and patient’s satisfaction, we strongly believe that EMA should be the focus on follow-up and early intervention studies.

scholarly journals An ecological momentary compassion-focused intervention for enhancing resilience in help-seeking youth: a pilot study (Preprint)

10.2196/25650 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Rauschenberg ◽  
Benjamin Boecking ◽  
Isabell Paetzold ◽  
Koen Schruers ◽  
Anita Schick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Ecological Momentary

scholarly journals Pilot Study Investigating the Effect of a Suppression Versus Mindfulness-Based Strategy in Coping with Cigarette Cravings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Rogojanski
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Nicotine Dependence ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Emotional Functioning ◽  
Cue Exposure ◽  
Cigarette Cravings

The current pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a brief suppression versus mindfulness-based strategy for coping with cigarette cravings. Participants (N = 61) were randomly assigned to one of the two coping strategies to manage cravings during an experimental cue exposure to cigarettes. Results indicate that participants in both conditions reported significantly reduced amounts of smoking and increased self-efficacy in coping with smoking urges at a seven-day follow-up. However, only participants in the mindfulness condition demonstrated reductions in negative affect, depressive symptoms, and reduced levels of nicotine dependence. These findings indicate that while both conditions were associated with improvements on smoking relevant outcomes, mindfulness was unique for its beneficial impacts on reported nicotine dependence and emotional functioning over the course of the study.

scholarly journals Treating Depression Mindfully in a Day Hospital: a Randomised Controlled Pilot Study

Mindfulness ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 384-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice E. Buxton ◽  
Carina Remmers ◽  
Hans-Peter Unger ◽  
Nicole Plinz ◽  
Johannes Michalak
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Day Hospital ◽  
Depression Severity ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Mindfulness Skills ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Objectives Recent preliminary evidence suggests that mindfulness-based programmes may be beneficial in the treatment of patients suffering from current depression. Due to the heterogeneity of patients with this diagnosis, a specialisation in treatment concepts for subgroups of patients may be beneficial. Methods This randomised controlled pilot study investigated the effectiveness of an eight-week mindfulness-based day hospital treatment for patients with current depression and work-related conflicts (MDT-DH) under naturalistic conditions. Eighty-one currently depressed patients with work-related conflicts were randomly assigned to either MDT-DH (including personalised psychopharmacological treatment if necessary) or a waitlist condition including a psychopharmacological consultation (PCC). Outcomes were assessed at post-treatment and at 8-month follow-up. The primary outcome was depression severity (Beck Depression Inventory) at post-treatment. Secondary outcomes were work ability (Work Ability Index) and mindfulness (Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills). Results A multilevel analysis revealed that compared with patients in PCC, patients in the MDT-DH group showed a greater reduction in depression severity, higher work ability and heightened levels of mindfulness after 8 weeks than patients in the PCC group. These improvements were stable during the 8-month follow-up period. Conclusions Findings of the present pilot study suggest that a treatment concept involving intensive training in mindfulness can be successfully established in a day hospital and leads to clinically meaningful reductions in depression severity and increases in work ability in patients suffering from current depression. The generalisability of the findings may be limited due to small sample size, selective patient group and study design.

scholarly journals Pilot Study Investigating the Effect of a Suppression Versus Mindfulness-Based Strategy in Coping with Cigarette Cravings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Rogojanski
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Nicotine Dependence ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Emotional Functioning ◽  
Cue Exposure ◽  
Cigarette Cravings

The current pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a brief suppression versus mindfulness-based strategy for coping with cigarette cravings. Participants (N = 61) were randomly assigned to one of the two coping strategies to manage cravings during an experimental cue exposure to cigarettes. Results indicate that participants in both conditions reported significantly reduced amounts of smoking and increased self-efficacy in coping with smoking urges at a seven-day follow-up. However, only participants in the mindfulness condition demonstrated reductions in negative affect, depressive symptoms, and reduced levels of nicotine dependence. These findings indicate that while both conditions were associated with improvements on smoking relevant outcomes, mindfulness was unique for its beneficial impacts on reported nicotine dependence and emotional functioning over the course of the study.

scholarly journals Mindfulness Based Specific Phobia Intervention: A Pilot Study of Dissociated Ego State Resolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Genine Smith ◽  
Glenn Hartelius
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Specific Phobia ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Medical Assistance ◽  
Individual Session ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Larger Sample

This pilot study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a mindfulness based intervention for the treatment of needle phobia. The research question was whether one session of the dissociated ego state [DES] trauma release intervention would result in significant and durable release of needle phobia. It was hypothesized that the process tested in this study may reduce needle phobia by locating, identifying, and engaging with a dissociated aspect of the psyche developed from earlier trauma. Six participants who self reported fear of needles and resulting avoidance of medical assistance completed one 60-minute, individual session of a mindfulness based protocol for the release of specific phobia. After the DES intervention session, all participants but one reported reduced subjective units of distress while holding the needle against their skin: reduction of 61% post-test, 71% at 3-month follow-up, and 70% at 6-month follow up. Results at 6-month follow-up were statistically significant despite small sample size. Future investigations should involve larger sample sizes, populations drawn from various settings, more facilitators and a randomized, waitlist group.

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