BackgroundAn increasing number of mobile app interventions have been developed for problem drinking among college students; however, few studies have examined the integration of a mobile app with continuous physiological monitoring and alerting of affective states related to drinking behaviors.ObjectiveThe aim of this paper was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of Mind the Moment (MtM), a theoretically based intervention for female college students with problem drinking that combines brief, in-person counseling with ecological momentary intervention (EMI) on a mobile app integrated with a wearable sensorband.MethodsWe recruited 10 non-treatment seeking, female undergraduates from a university health clinic who scored a 3 or higher on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) to participate in this pilot study. Study activities involved an in-person baseline intake and 1 follow-up assessment, 2 in-person alcohol brief intervention counseling sessions, and use of MtM technology components (sensorband and EMI on a mobile app) for approximately 3-4 weeks. The intervention used motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies for reducing risks associated with drinking. We used both qualitative and quantitative assessments to measure acceptability of the intervention and feasibility of delivery. Use patterns of the sensorband and mobile app were also collected.ResultsQuantitative and qualitative data indicated high levels of acceptability for the MtM intervention. Altogether, participants made reports on the app on 26.7% (78/292) the days the technology was available to them and completed a total of 325 reports with wide variation between participants. Qualitative findings indicated that sensorband-elicited alerts promoted an increase in awareness of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to current environmental stressors and drinking behaviors in theoretically meaningful ways. Specific challenges related to functionality and form of the sensorband were identified.ConclusionsDelivering intervention material “just-in-time,” at the moment participants need to use behavioral strategies has great potential to individualize behavioral interventions for reducing problem drinking and other health behaviors. These findings provide initial evidence for the promise of wearable sensors for increasing potency of theoretically grounded mobile health interventions and point to directions for future research and uptake of these technologies.

Assistive technology is used to help maximize the educational outcomes of students with disabilities. However, few schools or districts effectively measure the outcomes of assistive technology. This article describes activities of Project OATS (Outcomes of Assistive Technology in the Schools), including identification and piloting of existing assessment instruments for possible use as an outcome measure; examining the validity of an existing instrument called the School Function Assessment (SFA), and field testing the School Function Assessment-Assistive Technology Version, an adaptation of the SFA.

This study examined hoarding symptoms and schizotypal personality traits (SPTs) in 38 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and explored early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) as partial mediators between hoarding symptoms and schizotypal traits in OCD. Hoarding and symmetry/ordering symptoms were correlated with total schizotypal score on the Personality Disorder Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4). Hoarding predicted the total number of schizotypal traits on the PDQ-4 after adjusting for symmetry/ordering symptoms. Schizotypal traits but not hoarding symptoms were significantly correlated with the social isolation and mistrust/abuse schemas. Schizotypal traits and hoarding were both associated with the emotional inhibition and emotional deprivation schemas, but neither of these mediated the relationship between schizotypal traits and hoarding. Clinical implications for understanding and treating hoarding and schizotypal personality in OCD are discussed.

Educators and therapists implement assistive technology to maximize educational outcomes of students with disabilities. However, few measure the outcomes of interventions because of a lack of valid measurement tools. This study investigated whether an assistive technology supplement for the School Function Assessment demonstrates an important aspect of construct validity. Specifically, the study examined a type of consequential validity. Twenty-eight school-based therapists participated in the study. Two t tests compared a group using the School Function Assessment (n = 13) to a group using the assistive technology supplement to the School Function Assessment (n = 15). The first t test examined the difference in confidence therapists perceived in their ability to develop assistive technology interpretations. The second t test compared the number of assistive technology interpretations matching those of an expert panel. The first t test did not achieve significance (p = .998). The second t test achieved significance (p = .001). These results suggest, with certain limitations, that the assistive technology supplement for the School Function Assessment exhibits this important aspect of construct validity.

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