Well-being app to support young people during the COVID-19 pandemic: randomised controlled trial.
BMJ Open
; 12(5): e058144, 2022 05 19.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1950165
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of 'Whitu seven ways in seven days', a well-being application (app) for young people.DESIGN:
Prospective randomised controlled trial of Whitu against waitlist control, with 45 participants in each arm.PARTICIPANTS:
90 New Zealand young people aged 16-30 recruited via a social media advertising campaign.SETTING:
Participants' homes.INTERVENTIONS:
Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and refined from a prototype version that was evaluated during a smaller qualitative study, 'Whitu seven ways in seven days' is a well-being app that, as its name suggests, contains seven modules to help young people (1) recognise and rate emotions, (2) learn relaxation and mindfulness, (3) practice self-compassion and (4) gratitude, (5) connect with others, (6) care for their physical health and (7) engage in goal-setting. It can be completed within a week or as desired. MAIN OUTCOMEMEASURES:
Primary outcomes were changes in well-being on the WHO 5-item Well-Being Index and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Secondary outcomes were changes in depression on the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, anxiety on the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale, self-compassion on the Self Compassion Scale-Short Form, stress on the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, sleep on the single-item Sleep Quality Scale and user engagement on the end-user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale and via qualitative feedback during an online survey. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline, 4 weeks (primary study endpoint) and 3 months, and analysed using linear mixed models with group, time and a group-time interaction.RESULTS:
At 4 weeks, participants in the Whitu group experienced significantly higher emotional (Mean difference (md) 13.19 (3.96 to 22.42); p=0.005) and mental (md 2.44 (0.27 to 4.61); p=0.027) well-being, self-compassion (md 0.56 (0.28 to 0.83); p<0.001) and sleep (md 1.13 (0.24 to 2.02); p=0.018), and significantly lower stress (md -4.69 (-7.61 to -1.76); p=0.002) and depression (md -5.34 (-10.14 to -0.53); p=0.030), compared with the waitlist controls. Group differences remained statistically significant at 3 months for all outcomes. Symptoms of anxiety were also lower in the intervention group at 4 weeks (p=0.096), with statistically significant differences at 3 months (md -2.31 (-4.54 to -0.08); p=0.042). Usability of Whitu was high (subjective ratings of 4.45 (0.72) and 4.38 (0.79) out of 5 at 4 weeks and 3 months, respectively) and qualitative feedback indicated individual and cultural acceptability of the app.CONCLUSIONS:
Given the evolving psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitu could provide a clinically effective and scalable means of improving the well-being, mental health and resilience of young people. Replication of current findings with younger individuals and in other settings is planned. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12620000516987).Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Mobile Applications
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
English
Journal:
BMJ Open
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmjopen-2021-058144
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