JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The impact of digital device use on health and well-being is a pressing question to which individuals, families, schools, policy makers, legislators, and digital designers are all demanding answers. However, the scientific literature on this topic to date is marred by small and/or unrepresentative samples, poor measurement of core constructs (e.g., device use, smartphone addiction), and a limited ability to address the psychological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the relationships between device use and well-being. A number of recent authoritative reviews have made urgent calls for future research projects to address these limitations. The critical role of research is to identify which patterns of use are associated with benefits versus risks, and who is more vulnerable to harmful versus beneficial outcomes, so that we can pursue evidence-based product design, education, and regulation aimed at maximizing benefits and minimizing risks of smartphones and other digital devices. We describe a protocol for a Digital Well-Being (DWB) study to help answer these questions.

Objective:

The objectives of this study are to provide normative data on objective patterns of smartphone use. We aim to: (1) identify how patterns of smartphone use impact well-being, identify groups of individuals who show similar patterns of covariation between smartphone use and well-being measures across time, (2) examine sociodemographic and personality/mental health predictors and which patterns of smartphone use and well-being are associated with pre-post changes in mental health and functioning, (3) discover which non-device behavior patterns (e.g., sleep, physical activity, geographic movement, social interactions) mediate the association between device use and well-being, (4) identify & explore recruitment strategies to increase and improve the representation of traditionally under-represented populations, (5) provide a real-world baseline of observed stress, mood, insomnia, physical activity and sleep across a representative population.

Methods:

This is a prospective, nonrandomized study to investigate patterns and relationships between digital device use, sensor based measures (including both behavioral and physiological signals), and self-reported measures of mental health and well-being. The study duration is four-weeks long per participant and includes passive sensing based on smartphone sensors, and optionally a wearable (Fitbit), for the complete four-week period.

Results:

At the time of submission, the study infrastructure and app has been designed and built, the institutional review board of the University of Oregon has approved the study protocol and data collection is underway. Data from 4,182 enrolled and consented participants has been collected as of March 27, 2023.

Conclusions:

The impact of digital devices on mental health and well-being raises important questions. The DWB Study is designed to help answer questions about how the association between patterns of smartphone use and well-being.