“This phone saved my life”: Older persons’ experiences and appraisals of an mHealth intervention aimed at addressing loneliness

This qualitative study aimed to explore older persons’ experiences and appraisals of the utility of an mHealth intervention for reducing their sense of loneliness. Participants (n = 13; 86.42% females; age range 65 to 87 years) received training in the use of a smartphone and a social networking application (WhatsApp). Following the intervention, they completed a focus group discussion. For data triangulation, participants shared their social media postings. Content analysis of the focus group discussion and social media data indicated that the mobile device was used to mitigate perceptions of loneliness and isolation, thus facilitating social network building, enhancing self-efficacy, and improving cognitive flexibility. Mobile phones and a social networking application appear to reduce loneliness experienced by the elderly.     

基于安戈夫法的青少年问题性移动社交网络使用评估标准

摘 要 使用安戈夫法界定青少年问题性移动社交网络使用评估标准。结果发现,筛查评估问卷中8个及以上题目持肯定回答即可评估为问题性移动社交网络使用,实证区分效度中正常使用者检出率为12%,问题性使用者检出率为91.1%。基于安戈夫法的青少年问题性移动社交网络使用评估工具有较好的心理学测量属性,可用于青少年问题性移动社交网络使用的筛查评估。     

Personality Traits Predict Smartphone Usage

The present study investigates to what degree individual differences can predict frequency and duration of actual behaviour, manifested in mobile application (app) usage on smartphones. In particular, this work focuses on the identification of stable associations between personality on the factor and facet level, fluid intelligence, demography and app usage in 16 distinct categories. A total of 137 subjects (87 women and 50 men), with an average age of 24 (SD = 4.72), participated in a 90‐min psychometric lab session as well as in a subsequent 60‐day data logging study in the field. Our data suggest that personality traits predict mobile application usage in several specific categories such as communication, photography, gaming, transportation and entertainment. Extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness are better predictors of mobile application usage than basic demographic variables in several distinct categories. Furthermore, predictive performance is slightly higher for single factor—in comparison with facet‐level personality scores. Fluid intelligence and demographics additionally show stable associations with categorical app usage. In sum, this study demonstrates how individual differences can be effectively related to actual behaviour and how this can assist in understanding the behavioural underpinnings of personality. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology     

正念认知疗法对手机依赖大学生的干预效果*

使用SAS和MPAI量表从820名被试中筛选出60名被试随机分配到实验组和对照组进行实验研究。预期通过正念认知疗法对手机依赖进行干预以降低大学生手机依赖程度。结果发现:实验组被试在接受正念认知疗法为期4周8次的团体辅导训练后,手机依赖总分、失控性、戒断性和逃避性因子得分与对照组相比显著降低,正念水平显著提高。结果表明正念认知疗法对个体的手机依赖的干预效果明显。     

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Insomnia Coach Mobile App to Assess Its Feasibility,Acceptability, and Potential Efficacy

Insomnia is highly prevalent among military veterans but access to cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is limited. Thus, this study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of Insomnia Coach, a CBT-I-based, free, self-management mobile app. Fifty U.S. veterans, who were mostly male (58%) and mean age 44.5 (range = 28–55) years with moderate insomnia symptoms were randomized to Insomnia Coach (n = 25) or a wait-list control condition (n = 25) for 6 weeks. Participants completed self-report measures and sleep diaries at baseline, posttreatment, and follow-up (12 weeks postrandomization), and app participants (n = 15) completed a qualitative interview at posttreatment. Findings suggest that Insomnia Coach is feasible to use, with three quarters of participants using the app through 6 weeks and engaging with active elements. For acceptability, perceptions of Insomnia Coach were very favorable based on both self-report and qualitative interview responses. Finally, for potential efficacy, at posttreatment, a larger proportion of Insomnia Coach (28%) than wait-list control participants (4%) achieved clinically significant improvement (p = .049) and there was a significant treatment effect on daytime sleep-related impairment (d = −0.6, p = .044). Additional treatment effects emerged at follow-up for insomnia severity (d = −1.1, p = .001), sleep onset latency (d = −0.6, p = .021), global sleep quality (d = −0.9, p = .002), and depression symptoms (d = −0.8, p = .012). These findings provide preliminary evidence that among veterans with moderate insomnia symptoms, a CBT-I-based self-management app is feasible, acceptable, and promising for improving insomnia severity and other sleep-related outcomes. Given the vast unmet need for insomnia treatment in the population, Insomnia Coach may provide an easily accessible, convenient public health intervention for individuals not receiving care.     

State of the Field of Mental Health Apps

Mental health apps offer unique opportunities for self-management of mental health and well-being in mobile, cost-effective ways. There is an abundance of apps available to consumers, but selecting a useful one presents a challenge. Most available apps are not supported by empirical evidence and thus consumers have access to a range of untested apps, the benefits of which are not known or supported. While user ratings exist, and are likely to be considered by consumers when selecting an app, they do not actually yield information on app suitability. A possible alternative way for consumers to choose an app would be to use an app review platform. A number of attempts have been made to construct such a platform, and this paper introduces PsyberGuide, which offers a step towards providing objective and actionable information for publicly available mental health apps.     

无手机恐惧:我们为什么不能与手机分离?

无手机恐惧是一种由手机不在身边或无法使用手机所诱发的情境性焦虑。近年来,大量研究证实了无手机恐惧的普遍存在。相关理论从错失恐惧、手机依恋和自我扩展等视角解释了无手机恐惧发生的原因。综述以往的实证研究发现,无手机恐惧的发生会受到个体特征(人口学变量、人格特质等)和手机使用行为等多方面因素的影响;同时,无手机恐惧会对个体的认知与学业表现、问题性手机使用行为、压力感、心理健康、生活方式和睡眠等多方面产生消极影响。未来研究应厘清和完善无手机恐惧的结构与测量工具,拓展无手机恐惧的研究方法与手段,进一步探讨无手机恐惧的影响因素、后效及作用机制,并加强对无手机恐惧的干预研究。     

按键位置对手机键盘拇指操作绩效的影响

本研究假设对于同样的手机键盘操作任务,手机各按键的位置不同,在操作绩效上存在差异。该研究实验从被试的客观操作绩效(反应时和正确率)和主观满意度评价两方面证实了该假设的成立:在保持被试自然姿势操作手机键盘的情况下,各按键在手机键盘中的位置确实对操作工效有较大影响。     

Listenmee® and Listenmee® smartphone application: Synchronizing walking to rhythmic auditory cues to improve gait in Parkinson’s disease

Evidence supports the use of rhythmic external auditory signals to improve gait in PD patients (Arias & Cudeiro, 2008; Kenyon & Thaut, 2000; McIntosh, Rice & Thaut, 1994; McIntosh et al., 1997; Morris, Iansek, & Matyas, 1994; Thaut, McIntosh, & Rice, 1997; Suteerawattananon, Morris, Etnyre, Jankovic, & Protas , 2004; Willems, Nieuwboer, Chavert, & Desloovere, 2006). However, few prototypes are available for daily use, and to our knowledge, none utilize a smartphone application allowing individualized sounds and cadence. Therefore, we analyzed the effects on gait of Listenmee®, an intelligent glasses system with a portable auditory device, and present its smartphone application, the Listenmee app®, offering over 100 different sounds and an adjustable metronome to individualize the cueing rate as well as its smartwatch with accelerometer to detect magnitude and direction of the proper acceleration, track calorie count, sleep patterns, steps count and daily distances. The present study included patients with idiopathic PD presented gait disturbances including freezing. Auditory rhythmic cues were delivered through Listenmee®. Performance was analyzed in a motion and gait analysis laboratory. The results revealed significant improvements in gait performance over three major dependent variables: walking speed in 38.1%, cadence in 28.1% and stride length in 44.5%. Our findings suggest that auditory cueing through Listenmee® may significantly enhance gait performance. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential role and maximize the benefits of these portable devices.     

Mobile technologies in use by those participating in Lutheran confirmation training in Finland

Abstract

This article focuses on the study of where mobile devices and social media tools are taken into consideration in the Finnish confirmation training entity as a new opportunity to work together. The research is based on the ethnographical method. The data was collected by observation in two confirmation training camp periods and interviewing confirmation training participants. The aim was to find out ways mobile devices were exploited in confirmation training pedagogy, how adolescents reacted to such mobile device use and how adolescents described their personal mobile device use. The research material is analysed by inductive content analysis. The findings are discussed in the theoretical context of the communities of practice (CoPs), originally formed by Lave and Wenger . According to the results, mobile device use, in the confirmation training programme did not seem to be that special for adolescents. At the same time, the youth considered it important to have the possibility to use mobile devices according to their own preferences. Using mobile devices in confirmation training challenged the traditional CoP setting, as adolescents used mobile technology more in their own way, being familiar with it in their earlier virtual communities of practice (VCoPs), instead of the plans of the workers of confirmation training.