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Tag: adults
09/05/2022

Effect of Digital Adherence Tools on Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment Among Adults Living With HIV in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sumari-de Boer IM, Ngowi, KM, Sonda TB, Pima FM, Masika LV, Sprangers MAG, Reiss P, Mmbaga BT, Nieuwkerk PT, Aarnoutse RE. (2021). Effect of Digital Adherence Tools on Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment Among Adults Living With HIV in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 87:5, 1136-1144, doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002695

This study investigated two digital antiretroviral HIV treatment adherence interventions among adults with suboptimal adherence living in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania using a parallel 3-arm, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial with 1:1:1 allocation. In one arm, 80 participants received reminder text messages (SMS) on 3 random days a week. In the second arm, 82 participants received a real-time medication monitoring device (RTMM) called Wisepill with SMS reminders. The device contains antiretroviral treatment, and each opening is registered and sent to an Internet server. If participants do not open before the end of the dosage window, a text reminder is sent. In the third arm, 81 participants received treatment as usual according to Tanzanian guidelines (minimal adherence counseling by nurses or pharmacists and annual viral load test). Proportion of participants who have sufficient treatment adherence (>85% of doses) was collected at enrollment and every 8 weeks for 48 weeks (total of 7 timepoints) using pharmacy refill counts and self-report. Over 48 weeks, no significant difference in self-reported adherence was found between the three arms. The average adherence based on pharmacy refills was also not significantly different across the three arms. None of the intervention arms showed a significant effect on viral suppression rates. Overall, the study’s findings do not support the use of RTMM or SMS reminder cues as a means to significantly improve adherence to HIV treatment. The difference in pharmacy refill counts compared to self-reported adherence might be due to social desirability and overreporting in all arms. More research is needed to explore how digital interventions can be used to optimize adherence across risk groups, including children, youth, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

07/18/2022

Virtual Reality Behavioral Activation for Adults With Major Depressive Disorder: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

Paul M, Bullock K, Bailenson J. Virtual Reality Behavioral Activation for Adults With Major Depressive Disorder: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health 2022;9(5):e35526 DOI: 10.2196/35526

This pilot study tested the feasibility and acceptability of using virtual reality (VR) in behavioral activation (BA) by supporting engagement in pleasant activities for adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited via flyers at the Stanford School of Medicine and enrolled if they were 18 or older, English-speaking, and met criteria for major depressive disorder. Using a randomized controlled study design, participants (N=13) were assigned to one of three arms: treatment as usual (n=4), VR BA (n=5), and traditional BA (n=4). Participants assigned to the VR BA and traditional BA groups met with the project director over Zoom four times over three weeks to receive BA therapy. The first session focused on establishing rapport, identifying pleasant activities, and setting activity goals. The traditional BA participants were provided a list of activities and asked to schedule real-life activities, while the VR BA arm were provided a VR headset and asked to choose VR activities. Session two and three included reviewing the activity log and checking in on participants’ goals. During session four, treatment and skills were reviewed, and participants provided feedback. Results demonstrated that the VR BA intervention is feasible and the majority (87%) of participants reported high levels of acceptability. On average, participants in the VR BA and traditional BA arms adhered to the homework assignment of completing at least 4 activities weekly (mean=7.22 activities weekly); however, only 20% of individuals in the VR BA arm completed the questionnaire following each VR activity. Additionally, VR BA participants reported reduced depression severity (mean difference of PHQ-9 = -5.67). The traditional BA arm reported the mean PHQ-9 scores reduced by 3.00 and the control arm did not reduce PHQ-9 scores (mean difference = 0.25). The findings of this study indicate VR BA is feasible for supporting treatment among adults with Major Depressive Disorder who often have difficulty accessing real-life activities. Future research should explore VR BA as Major Depressive Disorder treatment in adequately powered randomized controlled trials.

05/21/2021

Using artificial intelligence and longitudinal location data to differentiate persons who develop posttraumatic stress disorder following childhood trauma

Lekkas D, Jacobson N. (2021). Using artificial intelligence and longitudinal location data to differentiate persons who develop posttraumatic stress disorder following childhood trauma. Scientific Reports. 11(1): 10303. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-89768-2

Researchers examined the efficacy of using time-anchored Global Positioning System (GPS) location data to detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnostic status among women (ages 18–65 years) who had experienced child abuse (n = 185). Read More

04/09/2021

Associations between substance use and Instagram participation to inform social network-based screening models: Multimodal cross-sectional study

Bergman B, Wu W, Marsch L. (2020). Associations between substance use and Instagram participation to inform social network-based screening models: Multimodal cross-sectional study. JMIR. 22(9): e21916. doi: 10.2196/21916

Researchers recruited Instagram users ages 18-73 years (n = 3117) to examine associations between substance use and Instagram participation and explore whether age, gender, and race/ethnicity moderate these relationships. Read More

04/02/2021

Objective digital phenotypes of worry severity, pain severity and pain chronicity in persons living with HIV

Jacobson N, O’Cleirigh C. (2021). Objective digital phenotypes of worry severity, pain severity and pain chronicity in persons living with HIV. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 218(3): 165–167. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.168

Researchers recruited adults living with HIV (n = 68) to participate in a study to determine whether objective digital biomarkers developed from participant movement data could accurately predict symptoms of pain and worry in this population. Read More

03/26/2021

Identifying substance use risk based on deep neural networks and Instagram social media data

Hassanpour S, Tomita N, DeLise T, Crosier B, Marsch L. (2019). Identifying substance use risk based on deep neural networks and Instagram social media data. Neuropsychopharmacology. 44: 487–494. doi: 10.1038/s41386-018-0247-x

Researchers built and tested a machine learning model to identify substance use risk among adults (n = 2,287) based on images, captions, and comments from Instagram posts. Read More

01/22/2021

mMotiv8: A smartphone-based contingency management intervention to promote smoking cessation

Dallery J, Stinson L, Bolívar H, et al. (2020). mMotiv8: A Smartphone-Based Contingency Management Intervention to Promote Smoking Cessation. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. doi: 10.1002/jaba.800

Researchers assessed the efficacy and acceptability of a smartphone-based contingency management (CM) intervention, mMotiv8, in promoting smoking cessation among adult smokers over 7 weeks. Read More

01/01/2021

Web-based cognitive behavior therapy for chronic pain patients with aberrant drug-related behavior: Outcomes from a randomized controlled trial

Guarino H, Fong C, Marsch L, et al. (2018). Web-based cognitive behavior therapy for chronic pain patients with aberrant drug-related behavior: Outcomes from a randomized controlled trial. Pain Medicine. 19(12): 2423–2437. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnx334

Researchers recruited adults with chronic pain and aberrant drug-related behavior (ADRB) (n = 110) to participate in a comparison of the effectiveness of treatment as usual (TAU) and a web-based intervention (Take Charge of Pain: TCP) for improving pain-related symptoms and ADRB. Read More

10/16/2020

Leveraging social media to explore the barriers to treatment among individuals with depressive symptoms

Szlyk H, Deng J, Xu C, Krauss M, Cavazos-Rehg P. (2020). Leveraging social media to explore the barriers to treatment among individuals with depressive symptoms. Depression and Anxiety. 37(5): 458-465. doi: 10.1002/da.22990

Researchers recruited 643 individuals with depressive symptoms to participate in a study of the barriers to mental health treatment among people with depression who use social networks. Read More