81 Views

Symposia

Program / Treatment Design

Innovative Methods for Building and Disseminating Brief Mental Health Interventions

4 - (Sym 66) Single-session Interventions Embedded Within an Online Social Platform: A Usability Study

Saturday, November 19, 2022

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EST

Location: Broadhurst/Belasco, 5th Floor

Keywords: Service Delivery, Dissemination, Transdiagnostic
Recommended Readings: Kazdin, A.E., Rabbitt, S.M., 2013. Novel Models for Delivering Mental Health Services and Reducing the Burdens of Mental Illness. Clin. Psychol. Sci. 1, 170–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702612463566
Gruber, J., Prinstein, M.J., Clark, L.A., Rottenberg, J., Abramowitz, J.S., Albano, A.M., Aldao, A., Borelli, J.L., Chung, T., Davila, J., Forbes, E.E., Gee, D.G., Hall, G.C.N., Hallion, L.S., Hinshaw, S.P., Hofmann, S.G., Hollon, S.D., Joormann, J., Kazdin, A.E., Klein, D.N., La Greca, A.M., Levenson, R.W., MacDonald III, A.W., McKay, D., McLaughlin, K.A., Mendle, J., Miller, A.B., Neblett, E.W., Nock, M., Olatunji, B.O., Persons, J.B., Rozek, D.C., Schleider, J.L., Slavich, G.M., Teachman, B.A., Vine, V., Weinstock, L.M., 2021. Mental health and clinical psychological science in the time of COVID-19: Challenges, opportunities, and a call to action. Am. Psychol. 76, 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000707
Schleider, J. L., & Weisz, J. R. (2017). Little Treatments, Promising Effects? Meta-Analysis of Single-Session Interventions for Youth Psychiatric Problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(2), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.11.007

Presenter(s)

MD

Mallory Dobias, M.A.

PhD Student
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York

Co-author(s)

Jessica Schleider, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
RM

Rob Morris, PhD

Co-founder of Koko, A behavioral health Platform
Koko
Carmel Valley, California

Background. Existing mental health treatments are insufficient for addressing mental health needs at scale; many individuals now seek mental health information and support online. Single-session interventions (SSIs) may be particularly well-suited for dissemination as embedded, online support options that are easily-accessible within popular social platforms. We sought to evaluate the acceptability, usability, and effectiveness of three, 5 to 8-minute SSIs (ABC Project, Project SAVE, and REFRAME)—embedded as mental health Koko “minicourses” within a popular online social platform—to improve three key mental health outcomes: hopelessness, self-hate, and desire to stop self-harm.

Method. Qualitative (i.e., written text responses) and quantitative data (i.e., star ratings, SSI completion rates) evaluated acceptability and usability of all three SSIs. Paired t-tests assessed changes in hopelessness, self-hate, and desire to stop future self-harm, from pre- to post-SSI.

Results. Between March 2021 and February 2022, the SSIs were started 18,893 times and completed 6,179 times. Among SSI completers, all three SSIs generated high star ratings ( >4 out of 5 stars), with high completion rates (25.49% ABC; 55.79% SAVE; 56.61% REFRAME, respectively) relative to real-world completion rates among other digital self-help interventions (0.5-28.6%; Fleming et al., 2018). Qualitative feedback indicated many people found the SSIs to be helpful. Paired t-tests detected significant pre-post reductions in hopelessness for those who completed the ABC Project (P < .001, dz = -.81, 95% CI [-.85, -.77]) and REFRAME SSIs (P < .001, dz = -.88, 95% CI [-.96, -.80]). Self-hate significantly decreased (P < .001, dz = -.68, 95% CI [-.74, -.62]), and desire to stop self-harm significantly increased (P < .001, dz = .39, 95% CI [.33, .45]), from pre- to post- Project SAVE SSI among those who completed the program. Results remained consistent across sensitivity analyses and after correcting for multiple tests.

Conclusions. Very brief SSIs, when embedded within popular social platforms, are one promising and acceptable method for providing free, scalable, and mental health support online.