Mobile-Web Emotion Self-management Tool

NCT ID: NCT02346591

Last Updated: 2015-01-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 298 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2013-02-28
• Study Completion Date: 2013-11-30

Brief Summary

The investigators developed a responsive mobile-web app, "Jauntly," which was designed to take advantage of the known connections between positive emotions, stress reduction and stress resilience. The app's goal was to lead users through research-proven positive emotion-enhancing exercises and relevant educational materials. Intervention activities covered five well-being-generating content areas: 1) promoting the experience and recognition of gratitude; 2) encouraging positive social relationships and feelings of social support; 3) improving stress resilience via mindfulness and other relaxation-focused activities; 4) focusing and capitalizing on individual strengths (as opposed to limitations and weaknesses); and 5) general positive mood inducing activities. Program content was adapted from a variety of stress-relevant research areas including health psychology/psychosomatic medicine, social/personality psychology, positive psychology, and clinical psychology.

Detailed Description

The overarching goal of the Jauntly mobile app was to experience exercises that encourage one to take care of oneself emotionally, improve positive emotions, and decrease stress and other negative emotions. The user interacted with the app through evidence-based activities (e.g. writing gratefulness notes, helping others, practicing mindfulness). The activities were selected based on the goals the user selected upon initiation of program and throughout engagement with the app. In order to promote sustained use of the program and mastery of the positive emotion based skills, the design of the program included activities that range in difficulty so that the user could progress and improve (i.e., simple "1 and done" types of goals versus multi-week goals).

Research in positive psychology interventions suggests that increases in well-being are highest when the activity: 1) fits the person's interests and values and 2) is performed neither too frequently nor too seldom. Because of our desire to have a product with long-lasting usability and sustained engagement, it was critical that there were a diverse number of activities from which individuals could choose based on interest, current mood, and past success. The Jauntly user experience is structured around free use of the app partnered with regular emails, in-app messaging, videos, and articles. Emails remind users to utilize program content (including users in the control group who were reminded to visit the stress-management website). Use of the app and viewing of videos and other content is not restricted and users are able to self-tailor use according to their interest.

Conditions

Stress; Depression

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Jauntly

Mobile app designed to take advantage of the known connections between positive emotions, stress reduction and stress resilience; goal was to lead users through research-proven positive emotion enhancing exercises and relevant educational materials. Intervention activities covered five well-being generating content areas: 1) promoting the experience and recognition of gratitude; 2) encouraging positive social relationships and feelings of social support; 3) improving stress resilience via mindfulness and other relaxation-focused activities; 4) focusing and capitalizing on individual strengths (as opposed to limitations and weaknesses); and 5) general positive mood inducing activities.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Jauntly

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Mobile app designed to encourage positive emotion-enhancing and stress reduction activities.

Online stress management information

The control participants were emailed links to vetted online information about stress and encouraged to visit the websites.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Online stress management information

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Online educational information about stress management

Interventions

Jauntly

Mobile app designed to encourage positive emotion-enhancing and stress reduction activities.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Online stress management information

Online educational information about stress management

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years or older
• Employed at least part-time
• Self-report stress at work
• English speaking
• Access to a computer with high-speed internet connection, audio-video capability and an active email account

Exclusion Criteria

• High level of self-reported grief
• High level of self-reported depression (PHQ-2)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Oregon Center for Applied Science, Inc.

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Amy Birney

Research Scientist

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Amy Birney, MPH, MCHES

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Oregon Center for Applied Science

Locations

Oregon Center for Applied Science

Eugene, Oregon, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

102-2R

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id