Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
Date Submitted: Jan 31, 2023
Date Accepted: Mar 30, 2023
Using digital measurement-based care in the treatment of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents: A retrospective study of Bend Health
ABSTRACT
Background:
A growing body of evidence supports the efficacy of measurement-based care (MBC) for children and adolescents experiencing mental health concerns, particularly depression and anxiety. In recent years, MBC has increasingly transitioned to online spaces in the form of digital mental health interventions (DMHIs), which renders high-quality mental health care more accessible nationwide. Although extant research is promising, the emergence of MBC DMHIs means that much is unknown regarding their effectiveness as a treatment for anxiety and depression, particularly among children and adolescents.
Objective:
The current study uses data from children and adolescents participating in an MBC DMHI administered by Bend Health, a virtual collaborative care mental health company, to assess changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms during participation in the MBC DMHI, as well as their association with demographic and methodological factors.
Methods:
Caregivers of children and adolescents participating in Bend Health for depressive and/or anxiety symptoms reported measures of their children’s symptoms every 30 days throughout the duration of participation in Bend Health. Data from 107 children and adolescents ages 2 to 17 were used for the depressive and/or anxiety symptom analyses (depressive symptom group: n = 56, anxiety symptom group: n = 94).
Results:
Among children and adolescents participating in Bend Health care, group-level depressive symptoms decreased from moderately severe to less than mildly severe (median decrease of 28.2, P < .001), and anxiety symptoms decreased from moderately severe to mildly severe (median decrease of 5.4, P < .001) between first and last assessments. Both depressive and anxiety symptoms decreased as a function of length of involvement and number of sessions per month (all P < .001). Moreover, biological sex, ethnicity, age, and number of sessions per month were uniquely associated with depressive and anxiety symptom severity over time.
Conclusions:
As an increasing number of young people and families seek out DMHIs over traditional mental health treatments due to their accessibility and affordability, this study offers timely and compelling evidence that MBC DMHIs such as Bend Health are effective for treating depressive and anxiety symptoms in those younger than 18.
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