GGZ Oost Brabant, P.O. Box 3, Boekel, 5427 ZG, The Netherlands.
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9104, Nijmegen, 6500 HE, The Netherlands.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Aug 5;24(1):2118. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19666-5.
Depression is a common mental disorder. Detecting (sub)clinical depressive symptoms in adolescents at an early stage and offering a low-threshold early intervention can minimize the risk of serious and/or long-term depression. As such, a digital intervention can be a low-threshold preventive and early intervention. This study aims to examine whether the Boost My Mood (BMM)-app is a suitable preventive early intervention for adolescents with (sub)clinical depressive symptoms.
This naturalistic single-arm evaluation study (N = 50) was conducted in adolescents aged 16-21 with (sub)clinical depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the BMM-app was studied in relation to anxiety, worrying, stress, and sleeping problems. An exploratory objective was to determine whether positive expectations and social support are related to app use.
The study showed a significant decrease in not only depressive symptoms, but also anxiety, worrying and stress while using the BMM-app. Sleeping problems did not significantly decrease over time while using the BMM-app. The degree of use of the BMM-app and telling significant others about using the BMM-app were both not related to a decrease in depressive symptoms. The BMM-app was used significantly more when the adolescent had told relatives about their depressive symptoms.
A digital intervention, such as the BMM-app, can be a low-threshold preventive and early intervention for adolescents with (sub)clinical depressive symptoms. Beneficial effects of the BMM-app were reported on depressive symptoms as well as other aspects of quality of life, such as anxiety, worrying, and stress. Whereas several factors may have played a role in the current findings on depressive symptoms, there are reasons to assume that part of the reduction in symptoms could be attributed to the BMM-app. Although no causality can be assumed, this study is a first step in the implementation of preventive apps in mental health care.
抑郁症是一种常见的精神障碍。早期发现青少年的（亚）临床抑郁症状并提供低门槛的早期干预，可以最大限度地降低严重和/或长期抑郁的风险。因此，数字干预可以作为一种低门槛的预防和早期干预措施。本研究旨在检验 Boost My Mood（BMM）应用程序是否适合有（亚）临床抑郁症状的青少年作为预防和早期干预。
这是一项自然主义的单臂评估研究（N=50），参与者为 16-21 岁有（亚）临床抑郁症状的青少年。此外，还研究了 BMM 应用程序与焦虑、担忧、压力和睡眠问题的关系。一个探索性目标是确定积极的期望和社会支持是否与应用程序的使用有关。
研究表明，使用 BMM 应用程序不仅可以显著降低抑郁症状，还可以降低焦虑、担忧和压力。使用 BMM 应用程序时，睡眠问题并没有随着时间的推移而显著减少。BMM 应用程序的使用程度和告知重要他人使用 BMM 应用程序都与抑郁症状的减轻无关。当青少年告知亲属自己的抑郁症状时，他们更有可能使用 BMM 应用程序。
数字干预，如 BMM 应用程序，可以作为有（亚）临床抑郁症状的青少年的低门槛预防和早期干预措施。BMM 应用程序对抑郁症状以及焦虑、担忧和压力等生活质量方面都有有益的影响。尽管目前关于抑郁症状的发现可能有多种因素起作用，但有理由认为部分症状的减轻可能归因于 BMM 应用程序。虽然不能假设因果关系，但本研究是在精神卫生保健中实施预防应用程序的第一步。
