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      Supporting Our Valued Adolescents (SOVA), a Social Media Website for Adolescents with Depression and/or Anxiety: Technological Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability Study

      research-article
      , MD, MSc 1 , , , MSW, MPH 2 , , MS 1 , , MSW 1 , , MD, PhD 3 , , MD, PhD 1
      (Reviewer), (Reviewer)
      JMIR Mental Health
      JMIR Publications
      adolescent, adolescent health services, technology, depression, anxiety

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          Abstract

          Background

          Supporting Our Valued Adolescents (SOVA), a social media website for adolescents, was designed to increase mental health literacy and address negative health beliefs toward depression and/or anxiety diagnosis and treatment. This stakeholder-informed site underwent iterative user testing to evolve into its current version with daily blog posts, round-the-clock site moderation, and Web-based peer interaction to create an online support community.

          Objective

          The aim of this study was to evaluate the technological feasibility (at least 100 users on the site, logging in 12 to 18 times in the first 6 weeks) and acceptability of the SOVA site determined by the System Usability Scale (SUS).

          Methods

          Adolescents and young adults (aged 14-26 years) with a self-reported history of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms were recruited to access the research website (sova.pitt.edu). Participants were screened out if they reported active suicidality or a prior suicide attempt. Baseline survey measures included demographics, symptomatology using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 modified for adolescents (PHQ-9A) and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED-C), and mental health treatment history. The 6-week follow-up measures taken in addition to the symptomatology, included feasibility (total number of log-ins), usability, and acceptability of SOVA using SUS.

          Results

          Most of the 96 participants identified as female (75% [72/96]) and white (67% [64/96]). Most participants (73% [70/96]) reported having taken prior professional psychological help. The average PHQ-9A score was 11.8 (SD 5.5), and for SCARED-C, 85% (80/94) of the participants reported a score consistent with being susceptible to a diagnosed anxiety disorder. There were 46% (41/90) of eligible users who ever logged in. Out of the total users who ever logged in, the mean of total log-ins over the entire study was 4.1 (SD 6.9). Median number of users rated the user-friendliness of the site as “good.” The average SUS score was 71.2% (SD 18.7), or a “C-grade,” which correlated to an acceptable range. The participants reported to have liked the “easy-to-understand format” and “positive, helpful atmosphere,” but they also reported a desire for greater social interaction. Iterative recruitment resulted in incremental improvements to the site.

          Conclusions

          The SOVA site met feasibility goals of recruiting almost 100 users and establishing acceptable usability. Subsequent interventions are planned to increase site engagement and to evaluate efficacy in increasing uptake of primary care–recommended depression and/or anxiety treatment.

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          Most cited references33

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          From ideas to efficacy: The ORBIT model for developing behavioral treatments for chronic diseases.

          Given the critical role of behavior in preventing and treating chronic diseases, it is important to accelerate the development of behavioral treatments that can improve chronic disease prevention and outcomes. Findings from basic behavioral and social sciences research hold great promise for addressing behaviorally based clinical health problems, yet there is currently no established pathway for translating fundamental behavioral science discoveries into health-related treatments ready for Phase III efficacy testing. This article provides a systematic framework for developing behavioral treatments for preventing and treating chronic diseases.
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            Risk factors for suicide in psychiatric outpatients: a 20-year prospective study.

            To determine the risk factors for suicide, 6,891 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated in a prospective study. Subsequent deaths for the sample were identified through the National Death Index. Forty-nine (1%) suicides were determined from death certificates obtained from state vital statistics offices. Specific psychological variables that could be modified by clinical intervention were measured using standardized scales. Univariate survival analyses revealed that the severity of depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation were significant risk factors for eventual suicide. A multivariate survival analysis indicated that several modifiable variables were significant and unique risk factors for suicide, including suicide ideation, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and unemployment status.
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              Evaluation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item for detecting major depression among adolescents.

              The purpose of this study was to examine the performance characteristics and validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression among adolescents. The PHQ-9 was completed by 442 youth (aged 13-17 years) who were enrolled in a large health care-delivery system and participated in a study on depression outcomes. Criterion validity and performance characteristics were assessed against an independent structured mental health interview (the Child Diagnostic Interview Schedule [DISC-IV]). Construct validity was tested by examining associations between the PHQ-9 and a self-report measure of functional impairment, as well as parental reports of child psychosocial impairment and internalizing symptoms. A PHQ-9 score of 11 or more had a sensitivity of 89.5% and a specificity of 77.5% for detecting youth who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for major depression on the DISC-IV. Receiver-operator-curve analysis revealed that the PHQ-9 had an area under the curve of 0.88 (95% confidence interval: 0.82-0.94), and the cut point of 11 was optimal for maximizing sensitivity without loss of specificity. Increasing PHQ-9 scores were significantly correlated with increasing levels of functional impairment, as well as parental report of internalizing symptoms and psychosocial problems. Although the optimal cut point is higher among adolescents, the sensitivity and specificity of the PHQ-9 are similar to those of adult populations. The brief nature and ease of scoring of this instrument make this tool an excellent choice for providers and researchers seeking to implement depression screening in primary care settings.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                JMIR Ment Health
                JMIR Ment Health
                JMH
                JMIR Mental Health
                JMIR Publications (Toronto, Canada )
                2368-7959
                Jan-Mar 2018
                26 February 2018
                : 5
                : 1
                : e17
                Affiliations
                [1] 1 Department of Pediatrics Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA United States
                [2] 2 Graduate School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States
                [3] 3 Research and Development Corporation Pittsburgh, PA United States
                Author notes
                Corresponding Author: Ana Radovic ana.radovic@ 123456chp.edu
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4022-4151
                http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1507-6297
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3984-1566
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8000-2481
                http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1544-458X
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7266-7766
                Article
                v5i1e17
                10.2196/mental.9441
                5847821
                29483067
                68309e44-850b-4aed-b376-73cfd6f25062
                ©Ana Radovic, Theresa Gmelin, Jing Hua, Cassandra Long, Bradley D Stein, Elizabeth Miller. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 26.02.2018.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Mental Health, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://mental.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

                History
                : 12 December 2017
                : 30 December 2017
                : 8 January 2018
                : 8 January 2018
                Categories
                Original Paper
                Original Paper

                adolescent,adolescent health services,technology,depression,anxiety

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