Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Sep 5, 2021
Date Accepted: Dec 29, 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Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited.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.
Mixed-methods study of the feasibility and acceptability of ecological momentary assessment with young adults who are currently or formerly homeless
ABSTRACT
Background:
The use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has been utilized with young people experiencing homelessness to gather information on contexts associated with homelessness and risk behavior in real time and has proven feasible with this population. However, the extent to which EMA may impact attitudes or behaviors of currently homeless and formerly young adults residing in supportive housing has not been well investigated.
Objective:
This study describes feedback regarding EMA study participation from currently and formerly homeless young adults and examines reactivity to EMA participation and compliance.
Methods:
This mixed-methods study uses cross-sectional data collected pre- and post-EMA, intensive longitudinal data from a seven-day EMA prompting period and focus groups with currently and formerly homeless young adults in Los Angeles, California between 2017 and 2019.
Results:
Qualitative data confirmed quantitative findings. Differences in the experience of EMA between currently and formerly homeless young adults were found related to stress/anxiety, interference with daily life, difficulty charging, behavior change, and honesty in response. Anxiety and depression symptomatology decreased from pre- to post-EMA, but compliance was not significantly associated with the decrease.
Conclusions:
Results point to special considerations when administering EMA with currently and formerly homeless young adults. EMA appears to be slightly more burdensome for currently homeless young adults, compared to those residing in supportive housing; nuances to consider in study design. The lack of relationship between study compliance and symptomatology suggests low levels of reactivity.
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Copyright
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