Category: Technology
Alexandra Silverman, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia
Stephen Schueller, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California
Courtney Beard, Ph.D.
Psychologist
McLean Hospital
Belmont, Massachusetts
Alexandra Silverman, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia
Emily Lattie, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
Jessica Schleider, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
Marvyn Arévalo Avalos, Ph.D.
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
There has been a striking increase in the global prevalence of mental health disorders over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic (Santomauro et al., 2021). The added demand for mental health services has placed additional strain on an already overwhelmed mental health care system. In fact, in 2020, of the 52.9 million U.S. adults who met criteria for a mental health disorder, less than 50% received services; and rates were even lower for members of marginalized racial and ethnic groups in comparison to non-Latinx white individuals (NIMH, 2021).
Many barriers prevent access to care, including an insufficient number of professionals to meet the need for services (Kazdin, 2015). Thus, the mental health care system requires services that can be delivered cost-effectively and remotely on a large scale, without needed one-on-one contact with a professional. To this end, digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer one exciting approach to increase access to services. However, rates of DMHI uptake and engagement are low in real-world contexts (Baumel et al., 2019). As such, research is needed to examine ways of facilitating the uptake and sustained use of DMHIs when delivered in the real-world.
Directly tied to this year’s conference theme of using cognitive and behavioral science to prepare and respond to health emergencies, this symposium will highlight novel approaches used to implement and deliver DMHIs across a variety of real-world contexts and examine how DMHIs can be leveraged to expand access to care during health emergencies. The first presenter will describe the delivery of a DMHI in two contexts: first, as a low-intensity intervention to patients in primary care clinics; and, second, as an augment to treatment for patients in an acute psychiatric program. She will describe delivery considerations for both settings, challenges to retention and adherence, and strategies used to enhance patient engagement. The second presenter will present mixed methods results from a pilot feasibility and acceptability trial in which a DMHI was offered to patients in a large healthcare system as part of usual care. The third presenter will describe the implementation of a mental health app for college students at two universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting both implementation strategies and challenges. The fourth presenter will present mixed methods findings from a study in which she partnered with local government and public health officials in San Antonio, TX to translate (into Spanish), culturally adapt, and disseminate an open access DMHI platform throughout the city’s youth communities. The fifth presenter will present preliminary effectiveness and mixed methods user feedback data for a text messaging program that was implemented fully online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, a leading expert in DMHIs and implementation science, will discuss implications of the research presented and how DMHIs can be deployed in real-world contexts to expand access to care right now, and in the context of future health emergencies.
Presenter: Courtney Beard, Ph.D. – McLean Hospital
Co-author: Risa Weisberg, PhD – Boston University
Co-author: Erin Beckham, BA – McLean hospital
Co-author: Ramya Ramadurai, BA – American University
Co-author: Heather Martin, None – McLean Hospital
Presenter: Alexandra L. Silverman, M.A. – University of Virginia
Co-author: Jennifer Boggs, PhD, MSW – Kaiser Permanente Colorado – Institute for Health Research
Co-author: Jeremy W. Eberle, M.A. – University of Virginia
Co-author: Megan Baldwin, B.S. – Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Co-author: Henry Behan, MA – University of Virginia
Co-author: Anna Baglione, M.S. – University of Virginia
Co-author: Valerie Paolino, PhD – Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Co-author: Angel F. Vela de la Garza Evia, B.S. – University of Virginia
Co-author: Medhi Boukhechba, Ph.D. – University of Virginia
Co-author: Laura Barnes, PhD – University of Virginia
Co-author: Bethany Teachman, Ph.D. – University of Virginia
Presenter: Emily G. Lattie, Ph.D. – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-author: Katherine Cohen, M.A. – Stony Brook University
Co-author: Emily Hersch, MA – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-author: Clarisa Wijaya, PhD – Northwestern University
Co-author: Kofoworola Williams, M.P.H., Ph.D. – Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Co-author: Kaylee P. Kruzan, Ph.D. – Northwestern University
Co-author: David Mohr, PhD – Northwestern University
Presenter: Jessica L. Schleider, Ph.D. – Stony Brook University
Co-author: Jessica L. Schleider, Ph.D. – Stony Brook University
Co-author: Chantelle Roulston, PhD – Stony Brook University
Co-author: Akash Shroff, BS – Stony Brook University
Co-author: Julia Fassler, BA – New York University
Co-author: Nicole Dierschke, DrPH – UT Teen Health
Co-author: Jennifer San Pedro Todd, JD – UT Teen Health
Co-author: Ambar Rios-Herrara, LPC, MS – UT Teen Health
Co-author: Kristen Plastino, MD – UT Teen Health
Presenter: Marvyn R. Arévalo Avalos, Ph.D. – University of California at Berkeley
Co-author: Karina Rosales, PhD – UC Berkeley Social Welfare
Co-author: Adrian Aguilera, Ph.D. – University of California, Berkeley