Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jun 30, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 5, 2024 - Aug 30, 2024
Date Accepted: Oct 29, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited.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.
A Qualitative Analysis of Young People’s Experience of Mello: A Personalised, Transdiagnostic Smartphone App Targeting Repetitive Negative Thinking for Depression and Anxiety
ABSTRACT
Background:
The increasing rates of mental health challenges among young people highlight an urgent need for accessible and effective treatment. However, current mental health systems face unprecedented demand, leaving the majority of young people globally with unmet mental health needs. Smartphones present a promising solution to this issue by offering in-the-moment support through innovative Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAI), which provide support based on real-time data.
Objective:
This study explores young people's experiences with Mello, a JITAI which focused on the transdiagnostic mechanism of Repetitive Negative Thinking, a significant factor contributing to youth depression and anxiety.
Methods:
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 participants aged 16 to 25 years, all of whom had previously participated in a pilot randomised controlled trial of Mello. Nine participants identified as female, four as male, and two as non-binary. Interviews focused on participants’ experiences with the Mello app, factors influencing engagement, perceived benefits and limitations, and suggestions for future improvements. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results:
Three overarching themes were identified during the analysis: 1) Mello as a Tool for Intentional Engagement with Repetitive Negative Thinking, 2) Doing Therapy Your Own Way, and 3) Barriers to Engagement During Moments of Low Mood, Anxiety, and Repetitive Negative Thinking.
Conclusions:
Our findings underscore the value of Mello in promoting intentional engagement and reflection on Repetitive Negative Thinking, consistent with prior research that emphasises the effectiveness of tailored interventions. Although some users valued the self-guided nature of the application, others encountered difficulties with motivation. Future research should explore strategies to enhance engagement for young people with low mood and motivation, such as co-design methodologies, advanced personalisation features, and gamification techniques.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.