A New Mental Health Mobile App for Well-Being and Stress Reduction in Working Women: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Coelhoso Cássia Canha , Tobo Patricia Renovato , Lacerda Shirley Silva , Lima Alex Heitor , Barrichello Carla Regina Camara , Amaro Jr Edson , Kozasa Elisa Harumi 
Published: April 2019

BACKGROUND

Although the availability and use of mobile mental health apps has grown exponentially in recent years, little data are available regarding their efficacy.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an app developed to promote stress management and well-being among working women compared with a control app.

METHODS

Female employees at a private hospital were invited to participate in the study via mailing lists and intranet ads. A total of 653 individuals self-enrolled through the website. Eligible participants were randomized between control (n=240) and intervention (n=250) groups. The well-being mobile app provides an 8-week program with 4 classes per week (including a brief theoretical portion and a 15-min guided practice). The active control app also provided 4 assessments per week that encouraged participants to self-observe how they were feeling for 20 min. We also used the app to conduct Web-based questionnaires (10-item Perceived Stress Scale and 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index) and ask specific questions to assess subjective levels of stress and well-being at baseline (<italic>t</italic><sub>1</sub>), midintervention (<italic>t</italic><sub>4</sub>=4 weeks after <italic>t</italic><sub>1</sub>) and postintervention (<italic>t</italic><sub>8</sub>=8 weeks after <italic>t</italic><sub>1</sub>). Both apps were fully automated without any human involvement. Outcomes from the control and intervention conditions at the 3 time points were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Among the randomized participants (n=490), 185 participants were excluded at the 4-week follow-up and another 79 at the 8-week follow-up because of noncompliance with the experimental protocol. Participants who did not complete <italic>t</italic><sub>4</sub> and <italic>t</italic><sub>8</sub> assessments were equally distributed between groups (<italic>t</italic><sub>4</sub>: control group=34.6% [83/240] and intervention group=40.8% [102/250]; <italic>P</italic>=.16; <italic>t</italic><sub>8</sub>: control group=29.9% [47/157] and intervention group=21.6% [32/148]; <italic>P</italic>=.10). Both groups showed a significant increase in general well-being as a function of time (<italic>F</italic><sub>2,426</sub>=5.27; <italic>P</italic>=.006), but only the intervention group presented a significant increase in work-related well-being (<italic>F</italic><sub>2,426</sub>=8.92; <italic>P</italic>&lt;.001), as well as a significant reduction in work-related and overall stress (<italic>F</italic><sub>2,426</sub>=5.50; <italic>P</italic>=.004 and <italic>F</italic><sub>2,426</sub>=8.59; <italic>P</italic>&lt;.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The well-being mobile app was effective in reducing employee stress and improving well-being.

CLINICALTRIAL

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02637414; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02637414.