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Usability, Acceptability, and Feasibility of Two Technology-Based Devices for Mental Health Screening in Perinatal Care: A Comparison of Web Versus App

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Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health (MindCare 2019)

Abstract

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (web pages and apps) in mental health has boosted. However, it is unknown which of these two devices can be better in terms of feasibility and acceptability. Our aim is to compare the feasibility, usability, and user satisfaction of two devices (web vs mobile application) of an online program for perinatal depression screening called HappyMom. In total, 348 and 175 perinatal women registered into HappyMom web and app version, respectively. The assessment protocol included different biopsychosocial evaluations (twice during pregnancy and thrice in the postpartum) and a satisfaction questionnaire. Results showed that a higher percentage of women in the web sample (27.3–51.1%) responded to each assessment compared to the app sample (9.1–53.1%). A smaller proportion of women in web sample never responded to any assessments. By contrast, the percentage of women who responded to all assessments was higher in app sample (longitudinal retention sample was 4.6% of web users and 9.1% of app users). In general, high satisfaction was found in both web and app users. Our result showed that online assessment methods are feasible and acceptable by perinatal women. However, dropout rates are a real problem that urge a solution that will be discussed further in the paper. Web and App devices present different advantages and limitations. The choice of one of them must be made taking into account the study’s objective, the sample characteristics, and the dissemination possibilities.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    EPQ-R: Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised; STAI-T: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (trait subscale); ERQ: Emotion Regulation Questionnaire; CAE: Cuestionario de Afrontamiento del Estrés; QLI: Quality of Life Index; SRSS: Social Readjustement Rating Scale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castellón de la Plana, Spain

    Verónica Martínez-Borba & Carlos Suso-Ribera

  2. Universidad de Zaragoza, 44003, Teruel, Spain

    Jorge Osma

  3. Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain

    Jorge Osma

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  1. Verónica Martínez-Borba
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  2. Carlos Suso-Ribera
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  3. Jorge Osma
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Correspondence to Verónica Martínez-Borba .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy

    Pietro Cipresso

  2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Silvia Serino

  3. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy

    Daniela Villani

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Martínez-Borba, V., Suso-Ribera, C., Osma, J. (2019). Usability, Acceptability, and Feasibility of Two Technology-Based Devices for Mental Health Screening in Perinatal Care: A Comparison of Web Versus App. In: Cipresso, P., Serino, S., Villani, D. (eds) Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health. MindCare 2019. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 288. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25872-6_14

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