Abstract
Background
“Homework assignments,” a critical element of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for depression, are a means of CBT skill generalization and maintenance. Yet, homework adherence is often low. We developed CBT MobileWork,© a smartphone application (app) to promote CBT skills practice “as-needed.”
Methods
We applied a user-centered design in a laboratory setting with 8 depressed patients and 5 therapists for the initial development and testing. We then completed a real-world evaluation of CBT MobileWork© with 15 depressed patients in CBT and their therapists. This report details the prototype development, presents data evaluating feasibility and usability in the lab and real-world, and presents preliminary findings of associated measures.
Results
Our data indicates that both patients and therapists reported high levels of satisfaction and rated the application highly usable during testing in both controlled laboratory and under real-world conditions. A moderate association between app use and reductions in depression was found.
Conclusions
CBT MobileWork© has preliminary feasibility for CBT skills practice and may benefit patients with CBT homework completion.
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References
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank The University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) for the support and training that contributed substantially to this work. This research was supported by National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number KL2TR000146 (PI: Reis) The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health. This research was also supported by ClinicalTrials.gov: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00118404, NCT00183664, and NCT00218764; Jarrett & Thase, 2010).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by JC, SS, ADVD, LT and JDJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JC and all authors participated in the writing of the manuscript based upon their specific expertise and commented on previous and final versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Judith Callan, Jacqueline Dunbar Jacob, Susan Sereika, Annette Devito Dabbs, Armando Rotondi, Greg Jeremy Siegle, Anind Dey, Lisa Tamres, Ashley Van Slyke declare they have no confict of interest. Michael E. Thase reports no Conflicts of Interest specifically related to this research. In the past 3 years, he reports the following relationships. Advisory/Consultant: Acadia, Inc., Akili, Inc., Alkermes PLC, Allergan, Inc. (Forest, Naurex), Boehringer-Ingelheim, Calla Inc., Clexio Biosciences, H. Lundbeck A/S, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, Perception Neuroscience, Sage Therapeutics, Seelos Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Grant Support: Acadia, Inc., Allergan, Inc. (Forest, Naurex), Axsome Therapeutics, Intracellular, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceutica (Johnson & Johnson), Myriad (Assurex), Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., and Takeda. Speakers Bureau: None. Royalties: American Psychiatric Press Incorporated, Guilford Publications, Herald House, and W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Spouse’s Employment: Peloton Advantage, which does business with a number of pharmaceutical companies. Nikolaos Kazantzis reported being a board member of the International Association of Cognitive Therapy, which has a strategic partnership with the Academy of Cognitive Therapy; being a consultant to the Australian Psychological Society Institute; being an adjunct faculty and receiving personal fees from Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research; receiving compensation from SpringerNature; and receiving royalties from SpringerNature, Guilford, and Routledge.
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Callan, J.A., Dunbar Jacob, J., Siegle, G.J. et al. CBT MobileWork©: User-Centered Development and Testing of a Mobile Mental Health Application for Depression. Cogn Ther Res 45, 287–302 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10159-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10159-4