Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: Jul 5, 2019
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 5, 2019 - Jul 12, 2019
Date Accepted: Oct 11, 2019
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
“Would you use apps for stress management?” Attitudes as key determinant of the public acceptance in an online sample of adults: Survey Study.
ABSTRACT
Background:
Chronic stress is a major public health concern. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) can be of help in promoting coping skills in daily life and prevent stress-related issues. However, little is known about determinant factors of public acceptance of stress management in relation to preferences for psychological services.
Objective:
The aim of this survey study was to 1) determine determinant factors of public acceptance (behavioral use intention) of stress management apps based on an adapted and extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model and 2) to explore preferences for mHealth apps compared to other mental health services.
Methods:
Using convenience sampling, participants completed a multi-scale 54-item Web-based survey. Based on significant correlations with acceptance, hierarchical stepwise regression analysis was performed within 3 blocks: (1) background and stress-related control variables, (2) beliefs and attitudes toward using mHealth, and (3) the core UTAUT determinants. The preference for (readiness to use) mHealth apps in comparison to nine other mental health services was analyzed using paired t-tests.
Results:
Out of 141 participants, nearly half (48.9%) indicated prior mHealth use. Acceptance of stress coping apps was on average moderate (M=3.10, SD=1.03, min=1 to max=5). Hierarchical stepwise regression including four out of 11 variables (R2=.62; P=.01, f2=1.63) identified positive attitude toward using mHealth for stress coping (ß=.69, P<.001, 46% R2 increase above block 1, f2=0.85), skepticism/perceived risks (ß=-0.14, P=.01 f2=0.16) and stress symptoms (ß=0.12, P=.03, f2=0.14) as significant predictors of acceptance. UTAUT determinants added no predictive contribution beyond attitudes (all P>.05, R2 increase of 1%), whereas post-hoc analysis showed significant R2 increases of attitudes and skepticism/perceived risks beyond UTAUT determinants (all P<.001, R2 increase of 13%). The readiness to use apps was equivalent to or significantly higher than most service types, but lower than information websites.
Conclusions:
Attitudes may be at least as predictive for the acceptance of stress management apps as for more elaborated outcome beliefs. Efforts aiming at improving the public adoption of mHealth could put more emphasis on pleasant aspects of app use, address misconceptions, offer stress screening tools on health websites, and increase options to try high-quality apps. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
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