Symposia
Technology
Marvyn R. Arévalo Avalos, Ph.D.
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Karina Rosales, PhD
Research Associate
UC Berkeley Social Welfare
Berkeley, California
Adrian Aguilera, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in the global mental health landscape; including increased psychological distress and greater need for large-scale, rapid dissemination of mental health care. Digital mental health interventions (DMHI), such as those delivered via text messages, have the potential to reach underserved communities and address mental health disparities. To address this need, we developed the StayWell intervention, a 60-day text messaging program based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). StayWell is designed to help participants track their mood and learn coping skills.
Objective: This presentation will report on the implementation of the StayWell intervention, including issues related to participant recruitment, engagement, and outcomes; as well as report on ways in which similar interventions can be implemented in existing care pathways.
Methods: StayWell has been implemented online and via targeted outreach to community-based organizations providing mental health services to underserved communities. We have collected mixed-methods data from participants regarding their experiences with the program (i.e., quantitative measures: Modified Items from the System Usability Scale, feedback on message timing and frequency, intentions to continue using/recommend the program; open-ended qualitative questions: ways in which the program was helpful and feedback on what worked well/what could be improved). The analysis will include descriptive statistics, correlations, and group differences (e.g., by age, gender, and race) for the quantitative data and thematic analysis for the open-ended questions.
Results &
Discussion: To date, we have enrolled 408 participants in the StayWell intervention, 59 of those have completed the study, 9 participants were lost to follow-up, and the remaining are still enrolled in the intervention. This presentation will highlight successes and challenges with the implementation of StayWell. We will highlight how key demographic variables are related to implementation factors. Further, we will discuss ways in which DMHI programs, such as StayWell, can be implemented into existing healthcare pathways. For example, we will discuss ways in which mental health clinicians can work with their clients to utilize StayWell as a tool for mood monitoring and for this data to become available in counseling sessions. In summary, low-cost and low-burden DMHI can help deliver mental health care to underserved communities.