Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Sep 8, 2020
Date Accepted: Apr 13, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Apr 27, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited.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.
Mobile Sensing Apps and Self-management of Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic – an Online Survey
ABSTRACT
Background:
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, people had to adapt their daily life routines to the public health measures in place, which is likely to have resulted in a lack of social contacts in person, physical activity or sleep. Such changes can have a significant impact on mental health. Mobile sensing apps can passively record the daily life routines of people making them aware of maladaptive behavioral adjustments to the pandemic.
Objective:
This study aimed to explore the views of people on mobile sensing apps passively recording behaviors and their potential to increase awareness and helpfulness for self-managing mental health during the pandemic.
Methods:
We conducted an anonymous online survey including people with and without mental disorders asking them to rate the helpfulness of mobile sensing apps for the self-management of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey took place in May, 2020.
Results:
The majority of participants particularly those with a mental disorder (72%) perceived mobile sensing apps as very or extremely helpful for managing their mental health by becoming aware of maladaptive behaviors. The perceived helpfulness of mobile sensing apps was further higher among people experiencing a stronger impact of COVID-19 (β = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.16-0.33; P < .001), having a better understanding of technology (β = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.08-0.25; P < .001), and a higher education (β = 0.1; 95% CI, 0.02-0.19; P = .02).
Conclusions:
The findings highlight the potential of mobile sensing apps to assist in mental health care during the pandemic.
Citation
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