JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental health, self-regulatory capacities, and overall resilience are well-known. Given such effects, ACEs may play a role in how individuals adjust to challenges later in life. Of interest in the current study is the transition to university, a time of heightened stress when adapting to circumstances is required and when those with ACEs may need additional in-the-moment support to exercise resilience. A smartphone app may provide a worthwhile and readily accessible medium for a resilience intervention provided behavioral outcomes are adequately evaluated.

Objective:

The current study evaluates the impact of an innovative, smartphone app-based resilience intervention. The JoyPopTM app was designed to promote resilience through the use of self-regulatory skills such as emotion regulation and executive functioning. Among a sample of first-year undergraduate students, we explored whether use of the app would be associated with positive changes in resilience and related outcomes and whether these benefits were influenced by level of childhood adversity.

Methods:

Participants (N=156) were requested to use the JoyPopTM app for four weeks, at least twice daily. Changes in resilience, emotion regulation, executive functioning, and depression were assessed after two and four weeks of app usage using multilevel modeling.

Results:

Participant app usage was associated with improvements in emotion regulation and symptoms of depression over time. An interaction between ACEs and days of app usage for emotion regulation existed, such that participants with more adversity evidenced a faster rate of change in emotion regulation.

Conclusions:

Results highlight that daily incorporation of an app-based resilience intervention can help youth who have experienced adversity improve emotion regulation skills and experience reductions in depression. The JoyPopTM app represents an important step forward in the integration of resilience intervention research with a technology-based medium that provides in-the-moment support.