Mobile health interventions: exploring the use of common relationship factors
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
The use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions has risen dramatically over the past two decades. It is important to consider mHealth intervention research within the broader therapy outcome literature. Among other key findings, this broader literature suggests that common relationship factors such as empathy, positive regard, and genuineness may play a critical role in therapy effectiveness. These findings raise intriguing questions for mobile interventions. For example, can mobile interventions incorporate aspects of common factors to augment their efficacy? Will the absence of relationship-based common factors make mobile interventions less effective? This viewpoint paper addresses these questions as well as related issues such as how to operationalize relationship qualities in the context of a mobile intervention and whether common relationship factors apply to computers or computerized narrators. The paper concludes by outlining a future research agenda guided by theory and empirical studies.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
A review of mobile health interventions concluded that people automatically respond to computers in social ways and relational agents can be used to develop TA by providing empathy and respect.
“A review of mobile health interventions concluded that people automatically respond to computers in social ways and relational agents can be used to develop TA by providing empathy and respect (69).”
From Digital Therapeutic Alliance With Fully Automated Mental Health Smartphone Apps: A Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [69]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Machines and Mindlessness: Social Responses to Computers
Nass, C., & Moon, Y. (2000) · Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1111/0022-4537.00153 · Cited by 4,022 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Literature from the field of human-computer interaction suggests that people automatically and unconsciously react to computers in social ways [8,9].”
BackgroundThe Uncanny Valley [From the Field]
Mori, M., MacDorman, K., & Kageki, N. (2012) · IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine · doi:10.1109/mra.2012.2192811 · Cited by 3,542 · see citing works
Establishing and maintaining long-term human-computer relationships
Bickmore, T. W., & Picard, R. W. (2005) · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction · doi:10.1145/1067860.1067867 · Cited by 1,333 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Similar to Bickmore and Picard [44] and Berry and colleagues [45], empathic agents were rated as more caring, likeable, trustworthy, and supportive than nonempathic agents.”
BackgroundNowak, K. L., & Biocca, F. (2003) · Presence - Teleoperators and Virtual Environments · doi:10.1162/105474603322761289 · Cited by 1,162 · see citing works
Zadro, L., Williams, K. D., & Richardson, R. (2004) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2003.11.006 · Cited by 1,138 · see citing works
Mohr, D. C., Cuijpers, P., & Lehman, K. (2011) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1602 · Cited by 1,097 · see citing works
Spijkerman, M. P. J., Pots, W. T. M., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.03.009 · Cited by 975 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Currently, there are 7811 publications using the terms mobile intervention or e-intervention indexed on PsycINFO, including multiple meta-analyses within subareas of the field [3-5].”
BackgroundUsing Internet technology to deliver a behavioral weight loss program
Tate, D. F. (2001) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.285.9.1172 · Cited by 925 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In particular, recent studies have shown that human electronic coaches (e-coaches; ie, individuals such as nurses, therapists, or research assistants who provide support and assistance throughout an intervention) can increase intervention effectiveness and adherence [16,17].”
BackgroundIntimate Exchanges: Using Computers to Elicit Self-Disclosure from Consumers
Moon, Y. (2000) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/209566 · Cited by 842 · see citing works
Evidence-based therapy relationships: Research conclusions and clinical practices.
Norcross, J. C., & Wampold, B. E. (2011) · Psychotherapy · doi:10.1037/a0022161 · Cited by 813 · see citing works
Psychotherapy relationships that work II.
Norcross, J. C., & Lambert, M. J. (2011) · Psychotherapy · doi:10.1037/a0022180 · Cited by 797 · see citing works
Tate, D. F., Jackvony, E. H., & Wing, R. R. (2003) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.289.14.1833 · Cited by 666 · see citing works
Nass, C., Fogg, B. J., & Moon, Y. (1996) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1006/ijhc.1996.0073 · Cited by 665 · see citing works
Can Mobile Phone Apps Influence People’s Health Behavior Change? An Evidence Review
Zhao, J., Freeman, B., & Li, M. (2016) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.5692 · Cited by 618 · see citing works
Brave, S., Nass, C., & Hutchinson, K. (2005) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2004.11.002 · Cited by 512 · see citing works
Tate, D. F., Jackvony, E. H., & Wing, R. R. (2006) · Archives of Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/archinte.166.15.1620 · Cited by 427 · see citing works
Are People Polite to Computers? Responses to Computer‐Based Interviewing Systems1
Nass, C., Moon, Y., & Carney, P. (1999) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1999.tb00142.x · Cited by 408 · see citing works
A two-month field trial in an elementary school for long-term human–robot interaction
Kanda, T., Sato, R., Saiwaki, N., & Ishiguro, H. (2007) · IEEE Transactions on Robotics · doi:10.1109/tro.2007.904904 · Cited by 397 · see citing works
Silicon sycophants: the effects of computers that flatter
Fogg, B. J., & Nass, C. (1997) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1006/ijhc.1996.0104 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Gong, L. (2008) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2007.05.007 · Cited by 338 · cited 2× · see citing works
“For example, Gong [31] asked undergraduates to work through a series of social dilemma scenarios with a computerized agent.”
BackgroundAvatars Versus Agents: A Meta-Analysis Quantifying the Effect of Agency on Social Influence
Fox, J., Ahn, S. J. (., Janssen, J. H., Yeykelis, L., Segovia, K. Y., & Bailenson, J. N. (2015) · Human–Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/07370024.2014.921494 · Cited by 320 · see citing works
Virtual Humans and Persuasion: The Effects of Agency and Behavioral Realism
Guadagno, R. E., Blascovich, J., Bailenson, J. N., & Mccall, C. (2007) · Cited by 307 · see citing works
de Graaf, M. M. A., Allouch, S. B., & Klamer, T. (2015) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.030 · Cited by 299 · see citing works
Facial expression of emotion and perception of the Uncanny Valley in virtual characters
Tinwell, A., Grimshaw, M., Nabi, D. A., & Williams, A. B. (2010) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.10.018 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Toward Acceptable Domestic Robots: Applying Insights from Social Psychology
Young, J. E., Hawkins, R., Sharlin, E., & Igarashi, T. (2008) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-008-0006-y · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Morkes, J., Kernal, H. K., & Nass, C. (1999) · Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1207/s15327051hci1404_2 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Social Inhibition in Immersive Virtual Environments
Hoyt, C. L., Blascovich, J., & Swinth, K. R. (2003) · Presence - Teleoperators and Virtual Environments · doi:10.1162/105474603321640932 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Lindhiem, O., Bennett, C. B., Rosen, D., & Silk, J. (2015) · Behavior Modification · doi:10.1177/0145445515595198 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Shingleton, R., & Palfai, T. (2015) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2015.08.005 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
The Influence of Anthropomorphism and Agency on Social Judgment in Virtual Environments
Nowak, K. L. (2006) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2004.tb00284.x · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Virtual agents in retail web sites: Benefits of simulated social interaction for older users
Chattaraman, V., Kwon, W., & Gilbert, J. E. (2012) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.009 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Bickmore, T. W., Utami, D., Matsuyama, R., & Paasche-Orlow, M. K. (2016) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.5239 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Gardiner, P. M., McCue, K. D., Negash, L. M., Cheng, T., White, L. F., Yinusa-Nyahkoon, L., Jack, B. W., & Bickmore, T. W. (2017) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2017.04.015 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Appel, J., von der Pütten, A. M., Krämer, N. C., & Gratch, J. S. (2012) · Advances in Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1155/2012/324694 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Evaluating a realistic agent in an advice-giving task
Berry, D. C., Butler, L. T., & de Rosis, F. (2005) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2005.03.006 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Relational Agents in Clinical Psychiatry
Bickmore, T., & Gruber, A. (2010) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/10673221003707538 · Cited by 112 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Relational agents are “computational artifacts, such as animated, screen-based characters or social robots, that are designed to establish a sense of rapport, trust, and even therapeutic alliance with patients,” by whatever means are appropriate [21].”
BackgroundLee, E.-J., & Nass, C. (2002) · Human Communication Research · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2002.tb00812.x · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Internet interventions for adult illicit substance users: a meta‐analysis
Boumparis, N., Karyotaki, E., Schaub, M. P., Cuijpers, P., & Riper, H. (2017) · Addiction · doi:10.1111/add.13819 · Cited by 104 · cited 2× · see citing works
“These findings raise intriguing questions for mHealth interventions [1-4].”
BackgroundScholten, M. R., Kelders, S. M., & Van Gemert-Pijnen, J. E. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.7351 · Cited by 97 · cited 1× · see citing works
“A growing body of literature suggests that computerized relational agents are satisfying to work with, can provide support, and can help with a variety of diverse tasks [22,23].”
BackgroundLooking at human–computer interface design: Effects of ethnicity in computer agents
Pratt, J. A., Hauser, K., Ugray, Z., & Patterson, O. V. (2007) · Interacting with Computers · doi:10.1016/j.intcom.2007.02.003 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Only connect: The working alliance in computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy
Kiluk, B. D., Serafini, K., Frankforter, T., Nich, C., & Carroll, K. M. (2014) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.10.003 · Cited by 80 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For example, Kiluk and colleagues [30] assessed working alliance in a sample of cocaine-dependent patients who were assigned to either treatment as usual (TAU: methadone maintenance plus regular sessions with a counselor) or TAU plus 7 sessions of a computerized cognitive behavioral intervention.”
BackgroundDirective and nondirective e-coach support for weight loss in overweight adults
Gabriele, J. M., Carpenter, B. D., Tate, D. F., & Fisher, E. B. (2011) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-010-9240-2 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Social Connection Modulates Perceptions of Animacy
Powers, K. E., Courtney, A. L., Freeman, J. B., Wheatley, T. P., & Heatherton, T. F. (2014) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797614547706 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Sillice, M. A., Morokoff, P. J., Ferszt, G., Bickmore, T., Bock, B. C., Lantini, R., & Velicer, W. F. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.7640 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Effects of narrator empathy in a computer delivered brief intervention for alcohol use
Ellis, J. D., Grekin, E. R., Beatty, J. R., McGoron, L., LaLiberte, B. V., Pop, D. E., Kostecki, A. P., & Ondersma, S. J. (2017) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2017.07.014 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [13]Justine C Embodied Conversational Agents (mit Press) 2019 Cambridge, MA The Mit Press
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Digital Therapeutic Alliance With Fully Automated Mental Health Smartphone Apps: A Narrative Review
Tong, F., Lederman, R., D'Alfonso, S., Berry, K., & Bucci, S. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.819623 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
“A review of mobile health interventions concluded that people automatically respond to computers in social ways and relational agents can be used to develop TA by providing empathy and respect (69).”
BackgroundBaptista, S., Wadley, G., Bird, D., Oldenburg, B., Speight, J., & The My Diabetes Coach Research Group (2020) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/17038 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Grekin, E. R., Beatty, J. R., & Ondersma, S. J.
- Affiliations
- Wayne State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Grekin, Emily R
- Venue
- JMIR mhealth and uhealth
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2019-04-15
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- e11245
- ISSN
- 2291-5222 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6487346
- OpenAlex
- W2900883481
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 7.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- JMIR mhealth and uhealth (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R21AA023660)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- mobile health intervention, common factors, therapeutic relationship, empathy, positive regard, genuineness, intervention efficacy
- MeSH terms
- Empathy, Humans, Social Support, Telemedicine
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
