Longitudinal Outcomes of a Therapist-Supported Digital Mental Health Intervention for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A 24-Month Retrospective Cohort Study
Year: 2022
Type: preprint
Abstract: Objective: This study examined treatment outcomes (depression and anxiety symptoms) up to 24 months after the Meru Health Program (MHP), a 12-week licensed therapist-supported digital mental health intervention (DMHI).Methods: Data from 413 participants who participated in the intervention from February 6, 2017 to March 25, 2019 were used to test the hypotheses. Participants were asked to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) at 8 timepoints from Baseline to a 24-month follow-up time point, and mixed-effects modeling was used to investigate symptom changes over time. The proportion of participants meeting criteria for treatment response, clinically significant change, and remission of depressive and anxiety symptoms were calculated at each time point, including proportions demonstrating each outcome sustained up to each time point. Results: Multivariate analyses yielded statistically significant reduction in depression (β = -5.40) and anxiety (β = -3.31) symptoms from baseline to end of treatment (12 weeks) after controlling for demographic and program-related characteristics. Symptom levels remained significantly reduced from baseline through 24 months. The proportion of participants meeting criteria for clinical treatment outcomes remained constant over 24-months, although there were linear decreases in the proportions experiencing sustained outcomes. Conclusions: Treatment gains were made for depression and anxiety symptoms for those enrolled in a 12-week DMHI at the end of treatment and at each follow-up time point through 24 months. Future studies should determine the feasibility of integrating continuation treatment, relapse prevention, and psychosocial monitoring into DMHIs for participants who experience symptom deterioration after program completion.
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4281398839