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Tag: adolescents
09/26/2022

Predictors of adolescent engagement and outcomes – A cross-sectional study using the Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall) digital mental health platform

Marinova N, Rogers T, and MacBeth A. “Predictors of Adolescent Engagement and Outcomes – A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall) Digital Mental Health Platform.” Journal of affective disorders 311 (2022): 284–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.058

This study modelled predictors of engagement and symptom change in adolescent users of Togetherall anonymous digital mental health peer-support platform. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of longitudinal user data from 606 Togetherall users (16-18 years old) referred from mental health services in the United Kingdom. Togetherall is a membership-based digital platform that supports delivery of peer support moderated by professionals, self-help materials, guided courses, digital art, and self-monitoring of mental well-being. Usage metrics, including number of logins, session duration, usage time, and number of guided courses and self-help materials accessed were collected. Participant characteristics and anxiety and depression symptoms were used to predict engagement and participants chose when and whether to complete a symptom measure. Average number of logins was 5.11 and mean usage time 64.22 minutes. 34% of participants discontinued use after one log-in. Total usage time predicted more access of self-help materials. Females made greater use of materials and courses than males. Higher baseline depression and anxiety, longer usage time, and session duration predicted lower post intervention depression scores. Higher baseline depression and anxiety and more self-help materials accessed predicted lower post intervention anxiety scores. Findings demonstrate that adolescents with significant levels of morbidity readily engaged with an anonymous online platform for support with mental health. Togetherall may offer a supportive community for adolescents using mental health services. Future studies are needed to establish effectiveness, adherence and acceptability using robust RCTs with active comparison groups.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
08/01/2022

Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study

Escobar-Viera CG, Choukas-Bradley S, Sidani J, Maheux AJ, Roberts SR, Rollman BL (2022). Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study. Frontiers in Digital Health, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2022.900695

This study examined rural LGBTQ youth’s social media experiences and attitudes toward technology-based interventions for reducing perceived isolation. Researchers recruited via social media advertisements a total of 20 participants who identified as LGBTQ youth (14-19 years old), lived in rural areas, and screened positive for perceived social isolation. Qualitative interviews conducted virtually focused on social media experiences, personal strategies to improve social media experiences, and perspectives about digital intervention delivery. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from interviews: 1) positive representation of LGBTQ groups on social media are important, 2) content from people with shared experiences promotes experiences of support, and 3) lack of feedback about one’s experiences reduces perceived support. Participants discussed advantages and disadvantages of intervention delivery via mobile apps, social media, chatbots, and dedicated websites. Overall, rural-living LGBTQ youth who feel socially isolated turn to social media to seek support and connect in meaningful ways. Study findings identified key components to a positive social media experience among LGBTQ young people, which can inform future intervention development. Results also indicated a combination of delivery modalities may foster engagement of rural-living LGBTQ young people in digital interventions to improve social isolation outcomes.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
07/06/2022

How Telehealth Can Enhance Mental Health Care Integration

Article Excerpt: With the nation in its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are under tremendous stress. Even patients who in general have been well-adjusted and healthy, particularly children and adolescents, are finding they need mental health care. Using technology to integrate behavioral health care into primary care settings—settings that patients are visiting on a regular basis for routine care or other medical needs—is a key way to help patients access the mental health care they need in a system that doesn’t have enough providers to meet the demand for behavioral health care.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/3h46j2fj

Article Source: AMA

 

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
07/01/2022

How Telehealth Can Help Bridge Pediatric Mental Healthcare Gaps

Article Excerpt: The burgeoning mental health epidemic in America is widespread across age groups, but the youth have faced a particularly challenging time amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the youth mental health crisis reaches new heights, providers are increasingly turning to telehealth to help expand access to behavioral healthcare. In December, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, issued an advisory calling for a coordinated response to combat the crisis. “Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide — and rates have increased over the past decade,” said Murthy in a press release. “The COVID-19 pandemic further altered their experiences at home, school, and in the community, and the effect on their mental health has been devastating.”

Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/45k9yfex

Article Source: mHealth Intelligence

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
05/31/2022

Murphy Highlights New Haven’s Playbl as “Innovator of the Month”

Article Excerpt: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Playbl, based in New Haven, has been named May’s “Innovator of the Month.” Playbl, a spin-out company from the play2PREVENT (p2P) Lab at the Yale Center for Health and Learning Games, produces evidence-informed digital health games to promote wellness and risk prevention for young people. Supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, their work provides scalable research-based digital solutions to help schools tackle education on critical health topics for their students, including mental health, substance use, and sexual health…“We have both lived and worked in New Haven for many years and are so excited to see the growth of innovation in the state. Playbl is poised to significantly contribute to that growth as we focus on helping teens live healthier and happier lives and we are deeply honored by Senator Murphy’s recognition,” said Playbl’s principals Lynn E. Fiellin, MD and Anusha Raja, MD, MBA.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/39w7rbbc

Article Source: Murphy Press Releases

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04/07/2022

Science Update: Digital Tool to Increase Youth HIV Testing Shows Promise in NIH-Funded Study

Article Excerpt: Youth aged 13 to 24 years who were offered HIV testing by a digital health tool on a tablet computer were as likely to accept as those who were offered testing face-to-face, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. However, among study participants aged 19 and younger who previously declined HIV testing, those who used the digital tool were 1.7 times more likely to agree to an HIV test, compared to those who received a face-to-face offer. Findings from the study, which was conducted in a New York City hospital emergency department, appear in Cureus. The Mobile Augmented Screening tool, or MAS, was developed and evaluated with funding from NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Ian David Aronson, Ph.D., of Digital Health Empowerment and New York University, led the work.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/67nnmsu7

Article Source: NICHD

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
03/21/2022

Fun and Games: Improving Youth Opioid Awareness

Article Excerpt: At the American Pharmacists Association 2022 Annual Meeting and Exposition, one poster titled “Youth Opioid Safety Knowledge and Perceived Impact of an Educational Game: A Nationally Representative Sample,” explored the importance of adolescent’s perception of dangerously addictive opioids. Claire A. Rosenberger; Olufunmilola Abraham, PhD, MS, BPharm; Jen Birstler, MS; and Kathleen Tierney demonstrated how an educational game could be used to improve opioid awareness in young people.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/5e5m48kf

Article Source: Psychiatric Times

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ;
03/02/2022

What Euphoria Gets Right—and Wrong—About Teen Drug Use and Addiction

Article Excerpt: The show (Euphoria) has sparked controversy over how it portrays teen drug use. In January, D.A.R.E.—the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program—criticized the show for “glorify[ing]” high school drug use and making it seem “common and widespread in today’s world.” But drug use is not uncommon among high school students today. In the U.S., about 1.6 million kids ages 12 to 17—6.3% of the adolescent population—had substance use disorder in 2020, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “That’s a huge problem,” says Dr. Lynn Fiellin, professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and Child Study Center, who is trained in addiction medicine and behavioral health (and who is a fan of the show). The problem seems to be growing, too; in 2020, millions more kids tried drugs for the first time. “Euphoria depicts exactly what is going on,” she says.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4dszsv8b

Article Source: Time

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02/02/2022

Pfizer, Alex Therapeutics Commercialize a Digital Therapy to Help with Smoking

Article Excerpt: Pfizer is partnering with Swedish digital therapeutics (DTx) company Alex Therapeutics to commercialize a smartphone-based nicotine cessation program (dubbed Eila). Currently, Pfizer is helping get the DTx clinically validated. The companies plan to commercialize the DTx in Germany first, and eventually to other international markets.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/yp44z7nh

Article Source: Insider Intelligence eMarketer

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;