A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Mobile ACT Responses From Two Cohorts
Open accessAbstract
Background: Mobile transdiagnostic therapies offer a solution to the challenges of limited access to psychological care. However, it is unclear if individuals can actively synthesize and adopt concepts and skills via an app without clinician support. Aims: The present study measured comprehension of and engagement with a mobile acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention in two independent cohorts. Authors hypothesized that participants would recognize that behaviors can be flexible in form and function and respond in an ACT process-aligned manner. Methods: Mixed-methods analyses were performed on open-ended responses collected from initial participants (n = 49) in two parallel micro-randomized trials with: 1) first-generation college students (FGCSs) (n = 25) from a four-year public research university and 2) individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BP) (n = 24). Twice each day over six weeks, participants responded to questions about mood and behavior, after which they had a 50-50 chance of receiving an ACT-based intervention. Participants identified current behavior and categorized behavior as values-based or avoidant. Interventions were selected randomly from 84 possible prompts, each targeting one ACT process: engagement with values, openness to internal experiences, or self-awareness. Participants were randomly assigned to either exploratory (10 FGCS, 9 BP) or confirmatory (15 FGCS, 15 BP) groups for analyses. Responses from the exploratory group were used to inductively derive a qualitative coding system. This system was used to code responses in the confirmatory group. Coded confirmatory data were used for final analyses. Results: Over 50% of participants in both cohorts submitted a non-blank response 100% of the time. For over 50% of participants, intervention responses aligned with the target ACT process for at least 96% of the time (FGCS) and 91% of the time (BP), and current behavior was labeled as values-based 70% (FGCS) and 85% (BP) of the time. Participants labeled similar behaviors flexibly as either values-based or avoidant in different contexts. Dominant themes were needs-based behaviors, interpersonal and family relationships, education, and time as a cost. Conclusions: Both cohorts were engaged with the app, as demonstrated by responses that aligned with ACT processes. This suggests that participants had some level of understanding that behavior can be flexible in form and function.
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Two members of the research team will code the responses for process alignment.
“Two members of the research team will code the responses for process alignment [108].”
From Optimization of a Transdiagnostic Mobile Emotion Regulation Intervention for University Students: Protocol for a Microrandomized Trial (2023) · cites this paper as [108]
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“Two members of the research team will code the responses for process alignment [108].”
Background
- Authors
- Hoel, S., Victory, A., Sagorac Gruichich, T., Stowe, Z. N., McInnis, M. G., Cochran, A., & Thomas, E. B. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- University of Iowa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cochran, Amy
- Venue
- Frontiers in Digital Health
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2022-05-12
- Volume
- 4
- Pages
- 869143-869143
- ISSN
- 2673-253X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9133380
- OpenAlex
- W4280564663
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 0.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Digital Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (K01 MH112876)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (ULITR002373)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Keywords
- transdiagnostic treatment, mental health apps, user engagement, avoidance behavior, behavioral flexibility, self-awareness
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