Abstract
Text messaging is ubiquitous, easy to use, and inexpensive. Text-message interventions are also relatively inexpensive to develop and maintain. Effective text-message interventions exist for adolescent mental health self-monitoring, depression prevention and interventions, suicide prevention, and other topics. Before implementing text messaging in practice, it is important for clinicians to consider privacy and security of data, quality of evidence behind a program, and the availability of clinical support. Suggestions for evaluating and designing text-message interventions are presented.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Lenhart A. Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. April 2015, Pew Research Center.
Ranney ML, et al. Adolescents’ preference for technology-based emergency department behavioral interventions: does it depend on risky behaviors? Pediatr Emerg Care. 2013;29(4):475–81.
Vyas AN, et al. Public health interventions: reaching Latino adolescents via Short Message Service and social media. J Med Internet Res. 2012;14(4):e99.
Gibson K, Cartwright C. Young people’s experiences of mobile phone text counselling: balancing connection and control. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2014;43:96–104.
Underwood MK, et al. The BlackBerry project: capturing the content of adolescents’ text messaging. Dev Psychol. 2012;48(2):295–302.
Ranney ML, et al. ‘You need to get them where they feel it’: conflicting perspectives on how to maximize the structure of text-message psychological interventions for adolescents. In: Proceedings of the 48th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 2015. IEEE & Computer Society Press. p. 3247–3255.
Mason M, et al. Text messaging interventions for adolescent and young adult substance use: a meta-analysis. Prev Sci. 2015;16(2):181–8.
Head KJ, et al. Efficacy of text messaging-based interventions for health promotion: a meta-analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2013;97:41–8.
IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Patient apps for improved healthcare: from novelty to mainstream. Parsipanny, NJ: IMS Institute; 2013.
Armanasco AA, et al. Preventive health behavior change text message interventions: a meta-analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2017;52(3):391–402.
Alvarez-Jimenez M, et al. Online, social media and mobile technologies for psychosis treatment: a systematic review on novel user-led interventions. Schizophr Res. 2014;156(1):96–106.
Menon V, Rajan TM, Sarkar S. Psychotherapeutic applications of mobile phone-based technologies: a systematic review of current research and trends. Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39(1):4–11.
Agyapong VI, et al. Cross-sectional survey evaluating Text4Mood: mobile health program to reduce psychological treatment gap in mental healthcare in Alberta through daily supportive text messages. BMC Psychiatry. 2016;16(1):378.
McKay FH, et al. Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: a systematic review. J Telemed Telecare. 2016.
Kauer SD, et al. Investigating the utility of mobile phones for collecting data about adolescent alcohol use and related mood, stress and coping behaviours: lessons and recommendations. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2009;28(1):25–30.
Aguilera A, Schueller SM, Leykin Y. Daily mood ratings via text message as a proxy for clinic based depression assessment. J Affect Disord. 2015;175:471–4.
Kauer SD, et al. Self-monitoring using mobile phones in the early stages of adolescent depression: randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. 2012;14(3):e67.
Reid SC, et al. A mobile phone application for the assessment and management of youth mental health problems in primary care: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Fam Pract. 2011;12:131.
Aguilera A, Munoz RF. Text messaging as an adjunct to CBT in low-income populations: a usability and feasibility pilot study. Prof Psychol Res Pr. 2011;42(6):472–8.
Agyapong VI, et al. Supportive text messaging for depression and comorbid alcohol use disorder: single-blind randomised trial. J Affect Disord. 2012;141(2–3):168–76.
Furber GV, et al. How adolescents use SMS (short message service) to micro-coordinate contact with youth mental health outreach services. J Adolesc Health. 2011;48(1):113–5.
Kobak KA, Mundt JC, Kennard B. Integrating technology into cognitive behavior therapy for adolescent depression: a pilot study. Ann General Psychiatry. 2015;14:37.
Whittaker R, et al. MEMO—a mobile phone depression prevention intervention for adolescents: development process and postprogram findings on acceptability from a randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. 2012;14(1):e13.
Ranney ML, et al. A depression prevention intervention for adolescents in the emergency department. J Adolesc Health. 2016;59(4):401–10.
Ranney M, et al. An emergency department text message program to reduce peer violence and depressive symptoms among at-risk youth: evidence for future adaptive interventions. Psychol Serv. Under review.
Wyman PA, et al. An outcome evaluation of the Sources of Strength suicide prevention program delivered by adolescent peer leaders in high schools. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(9):1653–61.
Schilling EA, Aseltine RH Jr, James A. The SOS suicide prevention program: further evidence of efficacy and effectiveness. Prev Sci. 2016;17(2):157–66.
Pisani AR, et al. Associations between suicidal high school students’ help-seeking and their attitudes and perceptions of social environment. J Youth Adolesc. 2012;41(10):1312–24.
Pisani AR, et al. Emotion regulation difficulties, youth–adult relationships, and suicide attempts among high school students in underserved communities. J Youth Adolesc. 2013;42(6):807–20.
Thiha P, et al. Efficacy of web-based collection of strength-based testimonials for text message extension of youth suicide prevention program: randomized controlled experiment. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2016;2(2):e164.
Pisani AR, et al. Diverse uses for text messaging in suicide prevention: three New York State projects and interactive discussion of implications. In: Firstst Annual Conference of the Suicide Prevention Center of New York. 2016. Albany, NY.
Gould MS, et al. Teenagers’ attitudes about seeking help from telephone crisis services (hotlines). Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2006;36(6):601–13.
Berrouiguet S, et al. SIAM (suicide intervention assisted by messages): the development of a post-acute crisis text messaging outreach for suicide prevention. BMC Psychiatry. 2014;14:294.
Luxton DD, June JD, Comtois KA. Can postdischarge follow-up contacts prevent suicide and suicidal behavior? Crisis. 2013;34(1):32–41.
Motto JA, Bostrom AG. A randomized controlled trial of postcrisis suicide prevention. Psychiatr Serv. 2001;52(6):828–33.
Mason M, et al. Text message delivered peer network counseling for adolescent smokers: a randomized controlled trial. J Prim Prev. 2016;37(5):403–20.
Suffoletto B, et al. A text message alcohol intervention for young adult emergency department patients: a randomized clinical trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2014;64(6):664–72. e4
Gonzales R, et al. Substance use recovery outcomes among a cohort of youth participating in a mobile-based texting aftercare pilot program. J Subst Abus Treat. 2014;47(1):20–6.
Gonzales R, et al. Youth recovery outcomes at 6 and 9 months following participation in a mobile texting recovery support aftercare pilot study. Am J Addict. 2016;25(1):62–8.
Fjeldsoe BS, Marshall AL, Miller YD. Behavior change interventions delivered by mobile telephone short-message service. Am J Prev Med. 2009;36(2):165–73.
Hawkins RP, et al. Understanding tailoring in communicating about health. Health Educ Res. 2008;23(3):454–66.
Noar SM, Benac CN, Harris MS. Does tailoring matter? Meta-analytic review of tailored print health behavior change interventions. Psychol Bull. 2007;133(4):673–93.
Chernick LS, et al. Adolescent female text messaging preferences to prevent pregnancy after an emergency department visit: a qualitative analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2016;18(9):e261.
Ranney ML, et al. “You need to get them where they feel it”: conflicting perspectives on how to maximize the structure of text-message psychological interventions for adolescents. Proc Annu Hawaii Int Conf Syst Sci. 2015;2015:3247–55.
Devine S, et al. Enhancing a teen pregnancy prevention program with text messaging: engaging minority youth to develop TOP (R) plus text. J Adolesc Health. 2014;54(3 Suppl):S78–83.
Suffoletto B, et al. A sex risk reduction text-message program for young adult females discharged from the emergency department. J Adolesc Health. 2013;53(3):387–93.
Seko Y, et al. Youth mental health interventions via mobile phones: a scoping review. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2014;17(9):591–602.
Gallagher K, Updegraff J. Health message framing effects on attitudes, intentions, and behavior: a meta-analytic review. Ann Behav Med. 2012;43(1):101–16.
Ranney ML, et al. Acceptability, language, and structure of text message-based behavioral interventions for high-risk adolescent females: a qualitative study. J Adolesc Health. 2014;55(1):33–40.
Pisani AR, et al. Human subjects protection and technology in prevention science: selected opportunities and challenges. Prev Sci. 2016;17(6):765–78.
Abroms LC, et al. Developing and pretesting a text messaging program for health behavior change: recommended steps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015;3(4):e107.
Glanz K. The role of behavioral science theory in development and implementation of public health interventions. Annu Rev Public Health. 2010;31:399–418.
Lopez LM, et al. Theory-based interventions for contraception. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;11:CD007249.
Chernick LS, et al. Barriers to and enablers of contraceptive use among adolescent females and their interest in an emergency department based intervention. Contraception. 2015;91(3):217–25.
Gold J, et al. What’s in a message? Delivering sexual health promotion to young people in Australia via text messaging. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:792.
Kristan J, Suffoletto B. Using online crowdsourcing to understand young adult attitudes toward expert-authored messages aimed at reducing hazardous alcohol consumption and to collect peer-authored messages. Transl Behav Med. 2015;5(1):45–52.
Muench F, et al. Understanding messaging preferences to inform development of mobile goal-directed behavioral interventions. J Med Internet Res. 2014;16(2):e14.
Text messaging and HIPAA. [April 26, 2017]. https://hipaaqsportal.hhs.gov/a/dtd/Text-messaging-and-HIPAA/135929-36899.
Drolet BC. Text messaging and protected health information: what is permitted? JAMA. 2017;317(23):2369–70.
Christofferson DE, Hamlett-Berry K, Augustson E. Suicide prevention referrals in a mobile health smoking cessation intervention. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(8):e7–9.
Rhee H, et al. Mobile phone-based asthma self-management aid for adolescents (mASMAA): a feasibility study. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2014;8:63–72.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ranney, M.L., Pisani, A.R., Chernick, L.S. (2018). The Role of Texting in Addressing Mental Health. In: Moreno, M., Radovic, A. (eds) Technology and Adolescent Mental Health . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69637-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69638-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)