Qu Diyang, Liu Dongyu, Cai Chengxi, Zhang Xuan, Yu Jiaao, Zhang Quan, Liu Kunxu, Wei Ziqian, Tan Jiajia, Cui Zaixu, Zhang Xiaoqian, Chen Runsen
Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Digit Health. 2023 Jul 16;9:20552076231187476. doi: 10.1177/20552076231187476. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.
To address the lack of mental health practitioners in developing countries, the current study explored the feasibility of a newly developed self-guided digital intervention program TEA (training for emotional adaptation) in alleviating depressive and anxiety symptoms, as one of a few studies which adapted from theoretical models with effective intervention techniques.
The first part of this study involved 11 professional mental health practitioners giving feedback on the feasibility of the TEA; while the second part involved a mixed-method single-arm study with 32 participants recruited online, who went through the seven intervention sessions within 14 days. The questionnaires were collected before, after, 14 days after, and 30 days after intervention. Additionally, 10 participants were invited to semi-structured interviews regarding their suggestions.
Practitioners thought that the TEA showed high professionalism (8.91/10) and is suitable for treating emotional symptoms (8.09/10). The generalized estimating equation model showed that the TEA significantly reduced participants' depressive and anxiety symptoms, while the effects of the intervention remained 30 days post intervention (Cohen's d > 1). Thematic analysis revealed three main themes about future improvement, including content improvement, interaction improvement, and bug-fixing.
To address the current needs for digital mental health intervention programs to account for the insufficient availability of mental health services in China, the current study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of TEA, with the potential to address the urgent need for remote mental health services.
The study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR), with number [ChiCTR2200065944].
为解决发展中国家心理健康从业者短缺的问题，本研究探索了新开发的自我指导数字干预项目TEA（情绪适应训练）在缓解抑郁和焦虑症状方面的可行性，这是少数从具有有效干预技术的理论模型改编而来的研究之一。
本研究的第一部分涉及11名专业心理健康从业者对TEA可行性的反馈；第二部分涉及一项混合方法单臂研究，招募了32名在线参与者，他们在14天内完成了七个干预环节。在干预前、干预后、干预后14天和干预后30天收集问卷。此外，邀请了10名参与者进行关于他们建议的半结构化访谈。
从业者认为TEA具有很高的专业性（8.91/10），适合治疗情绪症状（8.09/10）。广义估计方程模型显示，TEA显著降低了参与者的抑郁和焦虑症状，干预效果在干预后30天仍然存在（科恩d值>1）。主题分析揭示了关于未来改进的三个主要主题，包括内容改进、互动改进和漏洞修复。
为满足中国目前对数字心理健康干预项目的需求，以应对心理健康服务供应不足的问题，本研究提供了TEA有效性的初步证据，有可能满足对远程心理健康服务的迫切需求。
该研究已在中国临床试验注册中心（ChiCTR）注册，注册号为[ChiCTR2200065944]。
