JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder for which more treatment options are needed. Mental health app (mHealth) interventions are promising to patients suffering from PTSD, however, knowledge about mHealth interventions is sparse and primarily based on quantitative studies.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore PTSD patients’ experiences of using a mHealth app as a stand-alone intervention before commencing psychotherapeutic treatment.

Methods:

We conducted semi-structured interviews with fourteen participants six weeks after receiving the app. The participants were all referred to PTSD treatment and waited to commence psychotherapeutic treatment. During this waiting time, the participants had no contact with health staff. Interviews were transcribed and interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results:

Three overall themes were identified: Use of app, Being a patient and Overall evaluation of the app. Use of the app was described with the subtheme of habits and and the theme of being a patient included the subthemes of negative experiences with the app and being a part of a research project. Use of the app encompassed how psychological factors and technical problems could interfere with the use of the app. Being a patient depicted that the waiting time before starting treatment felt long, and a subgroup of patients experienced feeling worse during this time, which they partly attributed to using the app. Several suggestions of change were described in the overall evaluation of the app.

Conclusions:

The findings in this study revealed that emotional arousal influenced the use of the app and that it was difficult for participants to establish a habit of using the app thus reflecting the importance of supporting habit formation when implementing an mHealth app into mental health care services. Some participants had negative experiences from using the app reflecting the potential harm from having an mHealth app without the support from a clinician. It is therefore recommended to use a blended-care treatment or an approach where mental health care professionals “prescribe” a mHealth app for relevant patients to avoid increased suicidal risk.