Corrigendum: Usability, feasibility, and effect of a biocueing intervention in addition to a moderated digital social therapy-platform in young people with emerging mental health problems: a mixed-method approach

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.871813.].

Usability, Feasibility, and Effect of a Biocueing Intervention in Addition to a Moderated Digital Social Therapy-Platform in Young People With Emerging Mental Health Problems: A Mixed-Method Approach

Introduction

To optimize treatment, it is of utmost importance to take into account the myriad of biological, social, and psychological changes that young people go through during adolescence which make them more vulnerable for developing mental health problems. Biocueing, a non-invasive method to transform physiological parameters into an observable signal, could strengthen stress- and emotion regulation by cueing physiologically unusual values in daily life. The aim of this study is to investigate the usability, feasibility, and exploratory effect of biocueing in addition to ENgage YOung people earlY (ENYOY), a moderated digital social therapy-platform, in young people with emerging mental health complaints.

Methods

A user-centered mixed-method design was used. A focus group was conducted to optimize the ENYOY-platform and biocueing intervention. Biocueing was operationalized by a smartwatch and the Sense-IT app. A within-subjects design was used; 10 days for all participants 'biofeedback off' (control), followed by 10 days 'biofeedback on' (experimental). Emotional awareness and perceived stress were measured using ecological momentary assessment. Eight individuals participated. User-friendliness, usability, and acceptance were assessed using a qualitative design.

Results

Findings from the focus group resulted in several adaptations of the biocueing intervention to the ENYOY-platform and vice versa. The average measurement compliance rate was 78.8%. Level-one findings showed different individual effects on perceived stress and emotional awareness. Level-two analyses showed no overall effects on perceived stress (B = -0.020, p = 0.562) and overall positive effects on emotional awareness (B = 0.030, p = 0.048) with small effect sizes (Improvement Rate Difference = 0.05-0.35). The intervention was found to be acceptable and showed moderate usability. Participants indicated they experienced improvements in reflection on feelings and changes in behavior, such as pausing and evaluating the situation.

Conclusion

These preliminary results show that biocueing could be a promising addition to digital treatment platforms and help young people become more emotionally aware. Improvements should be made regarding the usability and acceptability of the smartwatch, as well as more extensive integration of the biocueing intervention with a digital treatment platform. It would be relevant to gain a better understanding of which individuals would benefit most from an additional biocueing intervention.

Online Indicated Preventive Mental Health Interventions for Youth: A Scoping Review

Objective: Between the ages of 12 and 25 the onset of mental disorders typically occurs, and the burden of mental health problems is greatest for this group. Indicated preventive interventions to target individuals with subclinical symptoms to prevent the transition to clinical levels of disorders have gained considerable traction. However, the threshold to seek help appears to be high even when help is needed. Online interventions could offer a solution, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review will present an overview of the recent research of indicated online preventive interventions for youth (12-25 years) experiencing the early stages of mental health complaints with the aim of identifying the nature and extent of the research evidence. Methods: The 5-stage framework by Arksey and O'Malley was used. Academic literature published from 2013 onwards in printed or electronic format was included from Scopus, PsychINFO, and Ovid MEDLINE(R) ALL. Results: The search yielded 11,122 results, with the final selection resulting in inclusion of 30 articles for this review. In total, the articles included 4,950 participants. 26.7% of the selected articles focused on youth between 12 and 25 years. Of the articles 60% did not screen for, nor exclude participants with clinical levels of symptoms. Most studies used a common evidence-based therapy for the disorder-category targeted. More than half of the online interventions included some form of human support. Adherence levels ranged between 27.9 and 98%. The results indicate general effectiveness, usability and acceptability of online indicated preventive interventions. The most commonly used approach was CBT (n = 12 studies). Studies varied in their size, rigor of study, effectiveness and outcome measures. Online interventions with a combination of clinical and peer moderation (n = 3 studies) appear to result in the most stable and highest effect sizes. Conclusion: Online indicated preventive mental health interventions for youth with emerging mental health issues show promise in reducing various mental health complaints, and increasing positive mental health indicators such as well-being and resilience. Additionally, high levels of usability and acceptability were found. However, the included studies show important methodological shortcomings. Also, the research has mainly focused on specific diagnostic categories, meaning there is a lack of transdiagnostic approaches. Finally, clear definitions of- as well as instruments to measure- emerging or subclinical mental health symptoms in youth remain are missing.