Feasibility of Mobile Health and Social Media–Based Interventions for Young Adults With Early Psychosis and Clinical Risk for Psychosis: Survey Study

Abstract

Background Digital technology, the internet, and social media are increasingly investigated as promising means for monitoring symptoms and delivering mental health treatment. These apps and interventions have demonstrated preliminary acceptability and feasibility, but previous reports suggest that access to technology may still be limited among individuals with psychotic disorders relative to the general population. Objective We evaluated and compared access to and use of technology and social media in young adults with psychotic disorders (PD), young adults with clinical risk for psychosis (CR), and psychosis-free youths (PF). Methods Participants were recruited through a coordinated specialty care clinic dedicated toward early psychosis as well as ongoing studies. We surveyed 21 PD, 23 CR, and 15 PF participants regarding access to technology and use of social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter. Statistical analyses were conducted in R. Categorical variables were compared among groups using Fisher exact test, continuous variables were compared using 1-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate for covariates. Results Access to technology and social media were similar among PD, CR, and PF participants. Individuals with PD, but not CR, were less likely to post at a weekly or higher frequency compared to PF individuals. We found that decreased active social media posting was unique to psychotic disorders and did not occur with other psychiatric diagnoses or demographic variables. Additionally, variation in age, sex, and White versus non-White race did not affect posting frequency. Conclusions For young people with psychosis spectrum disorders, there appears to be no “technology gap” limiting the implementation of digital and mobile health interventions. Active posting to social media was reduced for individuals with psychosis, which may be related to negative symptoms or impairment in social functioning.

Preferences of Young Adults With Psychosis for Cannabis-Focused Harm Reduction Interventions: A Cross-Sectional Study: Préférences des jeunes adultes souffrant de psychose pour les interventions de réduction des méfaits axées sur le cannabis : une étude transversale

“…34,45 The potential of technologybased interventions as an alternative to in-person interventions has been documented. 46 Whether this translates to Nearly half of the participants indicated their preferred primary goal for a harm reduction intervention as reducing use, rather than using cannabis in less harmful ways or avoiding risky cannabis-related situations. It is worth noting that half of our sample had a CUD but did not want CUD treatment, instead preferring harm reduction interventions.…”

“… 34 , 45 The potential of technology-based interventions as an alternative to in-person interventions has been documented. 46 Whether this translates to intervention adherence or efficiency remains to be studied. Considering the scarcity of cannabis-specific interventions, the challenge of engagement, and the potential for technology-based interventions to enhance well-being in individuals with EP, 47 developing cannabis-focused, technology-based interventions offer an opportunity to enhance health services.…”

Social networks use in the context of Schizophrenia: a review of the literature

“…During this selection phase, any disagreements among the investigators were resolved by discussion and consultation with a reviewer who was not actively involved in the study selection. The quality assessment for each studied was assessed using the tool of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH) (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/studyquality-assessment-tools) for cross-sectional studies that included 14 criteria (29). Two independent researchers assessed each article.…”

Implementing Technologies to Enhance Coordinated Specialty Care Framework: Implementation Outcomes From a Development and Usability Study

“…Patients with FEP have high rates of technology ownership and use as evidenced by a 2022 study of an FEP clinic that found that patients’ access to smartphones was 100% and that 66% of the patients used social media [ 4 ]. A variety of new technologies have been studied in CSC including apps, web-based videos, games, and social media platforms [ 5 ].…”