Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair/Advisor
Kaileigh Byrne
Committee Member
Cynthia Pury
Committee Member
Dawn Sarno
Abstract
Mental health apps have shown promise for improving mental health and quality of life in a variety of contexts, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, a limited amount of research aimed at understanding how app features and design can optimize the therapeutic benefits and adherence of such mental health apps exists. Consequently, the primary purpose of the current pilot study is to investigate the effect avatar customization on depressive symptoms, adherence, and motivation to use a mental health app. Furthermore, the secondary aim of the current pilot study is to examine whether specific app features, including journaling, mood tracking, and reminders, impact the usability of the mental health app. It was predicted that the customization condition would result in reduced depressive symptoms and increased adherence, motivation, and identification with the avatar compared to the no customization condition. A total of 59 college-aged students completed a 14-day trial with the cognitive behavior therapy-based mental health app, AirHeart. The pilot study entails a two-group experimental design in which participants were randomized to either a customization or no-customization version of the app. While no difference in results were detected between conditions for mental health symptoms or adherence, there was a significant reduction of depressive, anxiety, stress, and rumination symptoms over the two-week period for all participants on average. In addition, there was a strong negative correlation between avatar identification and depressive, anxiety, stress, and rumination symptoms. These preliminary findings could have potential implications for improving the optimization of mental health app design.
Recommended Citation
Six, Stephanie G., "Investigating the Efficacy of Mental Health App Features on Depressive Symptoms and Adherence: The Airheart Pilot Study" (2022). All Theses. 3746.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3746
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-7435-1773