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Pilot study of a well-being app to support New Zealand young people during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: Well-being apps represent a promising and scalable approach for improving mental health outcomes in youth, especially during a global pandemic when access to face-to-face interventions may be limited. Whitu (meaning 7 in the New Zealand Māori language Te Reo) is a newly developed well-be...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Serlachius, Anna, Boggiss, Anna, Lim, David, Schache, Kiralee, Wallace-Boyd, Kate, Brenton-Peters, Jennifer, Buttenshaw, Elise, Chadd, Stephanie, Cavadino, Alana, Cao, Nicholas, Morunga, Eva, Thabrew, Hiran
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8486611/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34631433
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2021.100464
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: Well-being apps represent a promising and scalable approach for improving mental health outcomes in youth, especially during a global pandemic when access to face-to-face interventions may be limited. Whitu (meaning 7 in the New Zealand Māori language Te Reo) is a newly developed well-being app with 7 modules that support young people to learn and practice evidence-based coping skills, including relaxation, mindfulness, self-compassion, and goal-setting. OBJECTIVE: During this pilot, we explored the acceptability, usability, and preliminary efficacy of Whitu before refining the app for a randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHODS: We recruited 20 New Zealand young people aged 16-25 years via social media to trial the first prototype of the Whitu app over 6 weeks. Within-group differences from baseline to 2- and 6-weeks post intervention in self-reported well-being, depression, anxiety, stress, self-compassion, optimism and sleep quality were evaluated using repeated-measures ANOVA. A further 21 participants aged 16-30 years were recruited to participate in 4 focus groups to give feedback on the app's usability and cultural acceptability. Feedback was analysed using directed content analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvements in anxiety (p = 0.024) and stress (p = 0.017) were observed from baseline to 2-weeks post intervention. Improvements in well-being (p = 0.021), depression (p = 0.031), anxiety (p = 0.005), and stress (p = 0.004) were also observed from baseline to 6-weeks. No statistically significant changes were seen in self-compassion, optimism, or sleep quality. Effect sizes (partial η(2)s) ranged from 0.25 (depression) to 0.42 (stress). Qualitative feedback comprised of five key themes, namely: factors affecting engagement, issues with functionality, preferences regarding aesthetics, effectiveness and adverse effects, and cultural acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results suggest that Whitu may be an effective app for improving multiple dimensions of young people's well-being. Modifications to the look and feel, cultural content, and onboarding have been undertaken based on the qualitative feedback, and an RCT is currently underway.