Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 11, 2020
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 11, 2020 - May 6, 2020
Date Accepted: Aug 3, 2020
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
A Cross-sectional Study on WeChat Use and Endorsement of WeChat-based mHealth among People Living with Schizophrenia in China: A New Path to Recovery and Well-Being
ABSTRACT
Background:
The past few decades have seen an exponential increase in using mobile phones to support medical care (“mHealth”) among people living with psychosis worldwide, yet little is known about WeChat use and WeChat-based mHealth among people living with schizophrenia (PLS) in China.
Objective:
The present study aims to assess WeChat use, endorsement of WeChat-based mHealth programs, and health related to WeChat use among PLS.
Methods:
We recruited a random sample of 400 PLS from 12 communities were recruited in Changsha City of Hunan Province, China. WeChat use was assessed using the adapted WeChat Use Intensity Questionnaire (WUIQ). We also measured psychiatric symptoms, functioning, disability, recovery, quality of life, and general wellbeing using a series of internationally standardized instruments.
Results:
WeChat use rate was 41% in this sample (163/400). Thirty percent had more than 50 WeChat friends and nearly half spent more than half an hour on WeChat, a pattern similar to college students and the elderly. PLS also showed higher emotional connectedness to WeChat use than college students. Eighty percent of PLS were willing to participate in a WeChat-based mHealth program, including psychoeducation (56%), professional support (50%), and peer support (41%). Compared to non-users, WeChat users were younger, better-educated, and more likely to be employed. WeChat use was associated with improved health outcomes, including lower psychiatric symptoms, lower disability, higher functioning, better recovery, higher quality of life, and better general well-being.
Conclusions:
WeChat-based mHealth programs hold promise as an empowering tool to provide cost-effective interventions, to foster global recovery, and to improve both physical and mental wellbeing among people with schizophrenia. WeChat and WeChat-based mHealth programs has the potential to offer a new path to recovery and wellbeing for people living with schizophrenia in China. Clinical Trial: NA
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