Examining the temporal dynamics of anxiety and depressive symptoms during a therapist‐supported, smartphone‐based intervention for depression: Longitudinal observational study

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the temporal dynamics of anxiety and depressive symptoms during a 12-week therapist-supported, smartphone-delivered digital health intervention for symptoms of depression and anxiety.Methods: A total of 290 participants were included in the present analyses (age Mean = 39.64, SD = 10.25 years; 79% female; 54% self-reported psychotropic medication use).Linear mixed models were used to examine the concurrent anxiety-depression association and (2) the lead-lag anxietydepression relationship, with greater anxiety predicted to precede an increase in depression.Results: In support of Hypothesis 1, greater anxiety during the current biweekly assessment was associated with greater depressive symptoms during the current biweekly assessment. In support of Hypothesis 2, greater anxiety during the prior biweekly assessment was associated with greater depressive symptoms during the current biweekly assessment but not vice-versa. Conclusion:These findings demonstrate that anxiety and depressive symptoms may overlap and fluctuate in concert, with anxiety symptoms predicting subsequent depressive symptoms but not vice-versa. With sensitivity to study

Toward Digital Precision Care: Large-scale Age and Gender Norms for Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Metrics from a Real-World Digital Mental Health Intervention

“…Protocols are also in place to handle symptom deterioration and emergencies. Additional details about the intervention may be found elsewhere (Allende et al, 2022;Forman-Hoffman et al, 2021).…”