Smartphone-based interventions triggered by daily-life stress

Stress-related disorders, such as anxiety and depression, are very common and have a big impact on individuals and society as a whole. Therefore, it is crucial to figure out ways to protect against these disorders and to develop effective interventions. To tackle this challenge, Radboudumc researchers Sophie Bögemann, Emma Hermsen, Judith van Leeuwen, Erno Hermans (Cognitive Neuroscience department and Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging), and Alejandro Arias‐Vásquez (Psychiatry department), teamed up with colleagues from the European DynaMORE consortium to create the Dynamic Modelling of Resilience - interventional multicenter study, or DynaM-INT.

In this ongoing study, students who are at risk of stress-related mental health problems are assigned to one of two smartphone interventions to help them handle stressful situations. Both interventions, which are developed in collaboration with clinical psychologists, contain elements of cognitive and behavioral therapy, and focus on different ways to protect against stress. In one of the two interventions, participants are trained to rethink negative events more positively. In the other, participants are trained to vividly imagine pleasant events that they're looking forward to. The DynaM-INT study is unique because these smartphone-based interventions are offered when they are needed most: during stressful moments in daily life. This is made possible through real-time monitoring of stress signals using mood surveys and biosensors. Analyses of these data is conducted in real time at the Donders Institute, while participants go about their daily lives.  

The DynaM-INT study spans 8 months and is conducted at five locations: Berlin, Mainz, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, and Nijmegen. It starts with a comprehensive assessment of each participant, including neuroimaging, questionnaires, and the collection of blood and stool samples. The goal is to identify predictors of intervention success, a crucial step for future research. In addition, the DynaM-INT study generates a wealth of data that other researchers in the field can use. The details of the study were published in BMC Psychology on August 25th.

Read the protocol here

Bögemann, S.A., Riepenhausen, A., Puhlmann, L.M.C. et al. Investigating two mobile just-in-time adaptive interventions to foster psychological resilience: research protocol of the DynaM-INT study. BMC Psychol 11, 245 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01249-5