Using a Smartphone App to Target Current Mental Health Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Using a Smartphone App to Target Current Mental Health Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

This is a prevention intervention study that will examine the efficacy of a smartphone-based intervention in decreasing cancer risk by targeting mental health risk factors of anxiety and depression.

This prevention intervention study aims to examine the efficacy of a smartphone-based intervention in decreasing cancer risk by targeting mental health risk factors of anxiety and depression. The study will utilize a smartphone application called Mood Triggers, designed to provide personalized feedback on individuals' maintenance factors (i.e., "triggers") of their anxiety and depressive symptoms. Mood Triggers delivers ultra-brief interventions (less than 2 minutes long) where participants view videos introducing important skills to treat their anxiety and depression. The study targets middle-aged adults (40-64 years old) who meet current criteria for moderate to severe anxiety and/or depressive disorders. It will enroll an anticipated 100 participants in a single-group, open-label design, with the intervention lasting up to 12 weeks. The primary outcomes include changes in depression and anxiety symptoms, measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-Q-IV Scale, respectively, as well as changes in cancer risk assessed by the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research Cancer Prevention Score.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Middle-aged adults (age 40 to 64).
2. fluent in English.
3. Able to provide informed consent.
4. Meets current criteria for an anxiety and/or depressive disorder with severity ranging from moderate to severe (based on the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire).
5. Owns a smartphone.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Acute psychosis (based on the self-reported Structured Interview for Psychosis risk Syndromes, Prodromal Questionnaire - Brief version [SIPS PQ-B]).
2. Moderate to high suicidal ideation (based on a response of 2 or more on the PHQ-9 item-9).
3. History of bipolar disorder (based on the self-reported Mood Disorder Questionnaire [MDQ].
4. Past or current diagnoses of cancer.
5. Changes to treatments or medications in the past 30 days.