Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Nov 25, 2024
Date Accepted: Nov 11, 2025
Identifying Time-Variant Predictors of Interest in Completing Brief Digital Mental Health Interventions Among Adult Cancer Survivors: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital micro-interventions have strong potential to improve the lives of adults diagnosed with cancer. However, little is known about which types of digital micro-interventions are most desired and how contextual factors may influence those preferences. This potentially limits guidance for personalized and timely digital micro-intervention delivery.
Objective:
The present study's objective was to identify time-varying and person-level predictors of relative digital micro-intervention interest among adult cancer survivors.
Methods:
US adults within five years of a cancer diagnosis were enrolled in a five-week observational study using ecological momentary assessment. Participants (N=407) were asked three times a day for 5-weeks which of 9 intervention(s), if any, they would have been interested in completing within the past hour. Multinomial models were used to identify demographic, cancer-related, and psychological predictors of individual differences in modal intervention preference. Multilevel logistic and multilevel multinomial models were used to identify momentary mood and pain predictors of relative interest.
Results:
Participants indicated interest in completing a digital micro-intervention in 87.08% of completed surveys. The most frequently selected intervention option was guided relaxation. Cancer treatment status did not differentiate between intervention preferences. Participants with greater anxiety and depression symptom severity were less likely to modally endorse guided relaxation compared to other intervention options. Higher momentary negative affect generally predicted greater interest in completing an intervention other than guided relaxation, whereas higher momentary pain generally predicted greater relative interest in guided relaxation.
Conclusions:
Adult cancer survivors differ in their digital micro-intervention preferences between and within persons. Guided relaxation alone is less appealing to cancer survivors when they are in greater emotional distress but may be more appealing in response to instances of increased pain.
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