TY  - JOUR
AU  - Edge, Daniel
AU  - Watkins, Edward
AU  - Newbold, Alexandra
AU  - Ehring, Thomas
AU  - Frost, Mads
AU  - Rosenkranz, Tabea
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/8/13
TI  - Evaluating the Effects of a Self-Help Mobile Phone App on Worry and Rumination Experienced by Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial
JO  - JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
SP  - e51932
VL  - 12
KW  - worry
KW  - rumination
KW  - repetitive negative thinking
KW  - prevention-mechanism
KW  - well-being
KW  - depression
KW  - anxiety
KW  - mobile-based interventions
KW  - mobile phone
KW  - mobile health application
KW  - app
KW  - application
AB  - Background: Delivery of preventative interventions via mobile phone apps offers an effective and accessible way to address the global priority of improving the mental health of adolescents and young adults. A proven risk factor for anxiety and depression is elevated worry and rumination, also known as repetitive negative thinking (RNT). Objective: This was a prevention mechanism trial that aimed to investigate whether an RNT-targeting self-help mobile phone app (MyMoodCoach) reduces worry and rumination in young adults residing in the United Kingdom. A secondary objective was to test whether the app reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression and improves well-being. Methods: A web-based, single-blind, 2-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted with 236 people aged between 16 and 24 years, who self-reported high levels of worry or rumination. Eligible participants were randomized to an active intervention group (usual practice, plus up to 6 weeks of using the RNT-targeting mobile app, n=119) or a waitlist control group (usual practice with no access to the app until after 6 weeks, n=117). The primary outcome was changes in worry and rumination 6 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes included changes in well-being and symptoms of anxiety and depression after 6 weeks and changes in all measures after 12 weeks. Results: Participants randomly allocated to use the RNT-targeting self-help app showed significantly lower levels of rumination (mean difference –2.92, 95% CI –5.57 to –0.28; P=.03; ηp2=0.02) and worry (mean difference –3.97, 95% CI –6.21 to –1.73; P<.001; ηp2=0.06) at 6-week follow-up, relative to the waitlist control. Similar differences were observed for well-being (P<.001), anxiety (P=.03), and depression (P=.04). The waitlist control group also showed improvement when given access to the app after 6 weeks. Improvements observed in the intervention group after 6 weeks of using the app were maintained at the 12-week follow-up point. Conclusions: The MyMoodCoach app had a significant positive effect on worry and rumination, well-being, anxiety, and depression in young adults, relative to waitlist controls, providing proof-of-principle that an unguided self-help app can effectively reduce RNT. This app, therefore, has potential for the prevention of anxiety and depression although longer-term effects on incidence need to be directly evaluated. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04950257; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04950257 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s12888-021-03536-0 
SN  - 2291-5222
UR  - https://mhealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e51932
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/51932
DO  - 10.2196/51932
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/51932
ER  -