González-Pérez, Alberto; Matey-Sanz, Miguel; Granell-Canut, Carlos; Casteleyn, Sven Using Mobile Devices as Scientific Measurements Instruments: Reliable Android Task Scheduling Journal Article Pervasive and Mobile Computing, 81 (101550), 2022, ISBN: 1574-1192. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @article{Gonzalez-Perez2022a,
title = {Using Mobile Devices as Scientific Measurements Instruments: Reliable Android Task Scheduling},
author = {Alberto González-Pérez and Miguel Matey-Sanz and Carlos Granell-Canut and Sven Casteleyn},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmcj.2022.101550},
isbn = {1574-1192},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-02-01},
journal = {Pervasive and Mobile Computing},
volume = {81},
number = {101550},
abstract = {In various usage scenarios, smartphones are used as measuring instruments to systematically and unobtrusively collect data measurements (e.g., sensor data, user activity, phone usage data). Unfortunately, in the race towards extending battery life and improving privacy, mobile phone manufacturers are gradually restricting developers in (frequently) scheduling background (sensing) tasks and impede the exact scheduling of their execution time (i.e., Android’s “best effort” approach). This evolution hampers successful deployment of smartphones in sensing applications in scientific contexts, with unreliable and incomplete sampling rates frequently reported in literature. In this article, we discuss the ins and outs of Android’s background tasks scheduling mechanism, and formulate guidelines for developers to successfully implement reliable task scheduling. Implementing these guidelines, we present a software library, agnostic from the underlying Android scheduling mechanisms and restrictions, that allows Android developers to reliably schedule tasks with a maximum sampling rate of one minute. Our evaluation demonstrates the use and versatility of our task scheduler, and experimentally confirms its reliability and acceptable energy usage.},
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In various usage scenarios, smartphones are used as measuring instruments to systematically and unobtrusively collect data measurements (e.g., sensor data, user activity, phone usage data). Unfortunately, in the race towards extending battery life and improving privacy, mobile phone manufacturers are gradually restricting developers in (frequently) scheduling background (sensing) tasks and impede the exact scheduling of their execution time (i.e., Android’s “best effort” approach). This evolution hampers successful deployment of smartphones in sensing applications in scientific contexts, with unreliable and incomplete sampling rates frequently reported in literature. In this article, we discuss the ins and outs of Android’s background tasks scheduling mechanism, and formulate guidelines for developers to successfully implement reliable task scheduling. Implementing these guidelines, we present a software library, agnostic from the underlying Android scheduling mechanisms and restrictions, that allows Android developers to reliably schedule tasks with a maximum sampling rate of one minute. Our evaluation demonstrates the use and versatility of our task scheduler, and experimentally confirms its reliability and acceptable energy usage. |
Osma, Jorge; Martínez-García, Laura; Perís-Baquero, Óscar; Navarro-Haro, María Vicenta; González-Pérez, Alberto; Suso-Ribera, Carlos Implementation, efficacy and cost effectiveness of the unified protocol in a blended format for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders: a study protocol for a multicentre, randomised, superiority controlled trial in the Spanish National Health System Journal Article BMJ Open, 11 (e054286), 2021, ISSN: 2044-6055. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @article{Osma2021,
title = {Implementation, efficacy and cost effectiveness of the unified protocol in a blended format for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders: a study protocol for a multicentre, randomised, superiority controlled trial in the Spanish National Health System },
author = {Jorge Osma and Laura Martínez-García and Óscar Perís-Baquero and María Vicenta Navarro-Haro and Alberto González-Pérez and Carlos Suso-Ribera},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054286},
issn = {2044-6055},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-31},
journal = {BMJ Open},
volume = {11},
number = {e054286},
abstract = {Introduction: Emotional disorders (EDs) have become the most prevalent psychological disorders in the general population, which has boosted the economic burden associated with their management. Approximately half of the individuals do not receive adequate treatment. Consequently, finding solutions to deliver cost-effective treatments for EDs has become a key goal of today’s clinical psychology. Blended treatments, a combination of face-to-face and online interventions, have emerged as a potential solution to the previous. The Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of EDs (UP) might serve this purpose, as it can be applied to a variety of disorders simultaneously and its manualised format makes it suitable for blended interventions.
Methods and analysis: The study is a multicentre, randomised, superiority, clinical trial. Participants will be 310 individuals with a diagnosis of an ED. They will be randomised to a treatment as usual (individual cognitive behavioural therapy) or a UP condition in a blended format (face-to-face individual UP +online, app-based UP). Primary outcomes will be ED diagnostic criteria and depression and anxiety symptoms. Cost efficiency of the intervention, app usability, as well as opinion and confidence in the treatment will also be evaluated. Assessment points will include baseline and 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after UP treatment.
Ethics and dissemination: The study has received approvals by the Ethics Research Committee of Navarra, Castellón, Euskadi, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Lleida and Aragón. The study is currently under an approval process by the Ethics Research Committees of all the remaining collaborating centres. Outcomes will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conference meetings.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Introduction: Emotional disorders (EDs) have become the most prevalent psychological disorders in the general population, which has boosted the economic burden associated with their management. Approximately half of the individuals do not receive adequate treatment. Consequently, finding solutions to deliver cost-effective treatments for EDs has become a key goal of today’s clinical psychology. Blended treatments, a combination of face-to-face and online interventions, have emerged as a potential solution to the previous. The Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of EDs (UP) might serve this purpose, as it can be applied to a variety of disorders simultaneously and its manualised format makes it suitable for blended interventions.
Methods and analysis: The study is a multicentre, randomised, superiority, clinical trial. Participants will be 310 individuals with a diagnosis of an ED. They will be randomised to a treatment as usual (individual cognitive behavioural therapy) or a UP condition in a blended format (face-to-face individual UP +online, app-based UP). Primary outcomes will be ED diagnostic criteria and depression and anxiety symptoms. Cost efficiency of the intervention, app usability, as well as opinion and confidence in the treatment will also be evaluated. Assessment points will include baseline and 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after UP treatment.
Ethics and dissemination: The study has received approvals by the Ethics Research Committee of Navarra, Castellón, Euskadi, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Lleida and Aragón. The study is currently under an approval process by the Ethics Research Committees of all the remaining collaborating centres. Outcomes will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conference meetings. |
Gómez-Cambronero, Águeda; Casteleyn, Sven; Mira, Adriana Horizon: Resilience – Design of a Serious Game for Ecological Momentary Intervention for Depression Inproceedings Extended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '21), pp. 236–241, ACM, 2021, ISBN: 9781450383561. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @inproceedings{GomezCambronero2021a,
title = {Horizon: Resilience – Design of a Serious Game for Ecological Momentary Intervention for Depression},
author = {Águeda Gómez-Cambronero and Sven Casteleyn and Adriana Mira},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3450337.3483500},
isbn = {9781450383561},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-10-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '21)},
pages = {236–241},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {Depression is the world’s most prevalent mental disorder and the primary source of disability adjusted life years (DALY). While traditional face-to-face therapies have been shown to be effective, alternative delivery methods, e.g. internet-based therapies, have been investigated to overcome barriers to access, such as lack of availability of therapists and infrastructure. This article presents the design of a mobile serious game as a novel psychological momentary ecological intervention for depressive symptoms. We discuss how selected principles and techniques of common psychological frameworks used to tackle depression, namely Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (including Behavioral Activation) and Positive Psychotherapy, were integrated in the game concept, gameplay and game mechanics of ”Horizon: Resilience”, a City Building and Decision Making serious game. The selected techniques are put central in the game design by introducing ”the Power R(esilience)”, which groups the psychological principles of motivation for change, cognitive flexibility, activation and positivity. While identifying with game characters and maintaining high levels of the Power R, the players are introduced to and learn to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Positive Psychotherapy strategies, which they can ultimately apply in their real-life depressive symptomatology},
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Depression is the world’s most prevalent mental disorder and the primary source of disability adjusted life years (DALY). While traditional face-to-face therapies have been shown to be effective, alternative delivery methods, e.g. internet-based therapies, have been investigated to overcome barriers to access, such as lack of availability of therapists and infrastructure. This article presents the design of a mobile serious game as a novel psychological momentary ecological intervention for depressive symptoms. We discuss how selected principles and techniques of common psychological frameworks used to tackle depression, namely Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (including Behavioral Activation) and Positive Psychotherapy, were integrated in the game concept, gameplay and game mechanics of ”Horizon: Resilience”, a City Building and Decision Making serious game. The selected techniques are put central in the game design by introducing ”the Power R(esilience)”, which groups the psychological principles of motivation for change, cognitive flexibility, activation and positivity. While identifying with game characters and maintaining high levels of the Power R, the players are introduced to and learn to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Positive Psychotherapy strategies, which they can ultimately apply in their real-life depressive symptomatology |
Gómez-Cambronero, Águeda A Serious Game to Battle Depression Inproceedings Extended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '21), pp. 401-402, ACM, 2021, ISBN: 9781450383561. Abstract | Links | BibTeX @inproceedings{GomezCambronero2021b,
title = {A Serious Game to Battle Depression},
author = {Águeda Gómez-Cambronero},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3450337.3483520},
isbn = {9781450383561},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-10-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY '21)},
pages = {401-402},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {This multidisciplinary project aims to develop a mobile serious game – Horizon: Resilience – as an intervention for patient suffering from depression, the most common mental disorder globally. The game is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and intends to map therapeutic principles – such as Behavioral Activation (BA), motivation for change and cognitive flexibility – to game mechanics and gameplay. As such, as players progress in the game, they undergo an ecological momentary intervention in a playful way, which teaches them coping strategies, stimulates behavioral change and an active lifestyle. Once the game is fully developed, a validation with real patients under guidance of a therapist is foreseen.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This multidisciplinary project aims to develop a mobile serious game – Horizon: Resilience – as an intervention for patient suffering from depression, the most common mental disorder globally. The game is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and intends to map therapeutic principles – such as Behavioral Activation (BA), motivation for change and cognitive flexibility – to game mechanics and gameplay. As such, as players progress in the game, they undergo an ecological momentary intervention in a playful way, which teaches them coping strategies, stimulates behavioral change and an active lifestyle. Once the game is fully developed, a validation with real patients under guidance of a therapist is foreseen. |
Miralles-Tena, Ignacio; Granell-Canut, Carlos; Díaz-Sanahuja, Laura; Woensel, William Van; Bretón-López, Juana; Mira, Adriana; Castilla, Diana; Casteleyn, Sven Smartphone apps for the treatment of mental disorders: a systematic review Journal Article JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8 (3), pp. e14897, 2020, ISSN: 2291-5222, (IF). Abstract | Links | BibTeX @article{Miralles-Tena2020b,
title = {Smartphone apps for the treatment of mental disorders: a systematic review},
author = {Ignacio Miralles-Tena and Carlos Granell-Canut and Laura Díaz-Sanahuja and William Van Woensel and Juana Bretón-López and Adriana Mira and Diana Castilla and Sven Casteleyn},
doi = {10.2196/14897},
issn = {2291-5222},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-03-04},
journal = {JMIR mHealth and uHealth},
volume = {8},
number = {3},
pages = {e14897},
abstract = {Background: Smartphone apps are an increasingly popular means for delivering psychological interventions to patients suffering from a mental disorder. In line with this popularity, there is a need to analyze and summarize the state of the art, both from a psychological and technical perspective.
Objective: This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the use of smartphones for psychological interventions. Our systematic review has the following objectives: (1) analyze the coverage of mental disorders in research articles per year; (2) study the types of assessment in research articles per mental disorder per year; (3) map the use of advanced technical features, such as sensors, and novel software features, such as personalization and social media, per mental disorder; (4) provide an overview of smartphone apps per mental disorder; and (5) provide an overview of the key characteristics of empirical assessments with rigorous designs (ie, randomized controlled trials [RCTs]).
Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. We performed searches in Scopus, Web of Science, American Psychological Association PsycNET, and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, covering a period of 6 years (2013-2018). We included papers that described the use of smartphone apps to deliver psychological interventions for known mental disorders. We formed multidisciplinary teams, comprising experts in psychology and computer science, to select and classify articles based on psychological and technical features.
Results: We found 158 articles that met the inclusion criteria. We observed an increasing interest in smartphone-based interventions over time. Most research targeted disorders with high prevalence, that is, depressive (31/158,19.6%) and anxiety disorders (18/158, 11.4%). Of the total, 72.7% (115/158) of the papers focused on six mental disorders: depression, anxiety, trauma and stressor-related, substance-related and addiction, schizophrenia spectrum, and other psychotic disorders, or a combination of disorders. More than half of known mental disorders were not or very scarcely (<3%) represented. An increasing number of studies were dedicated to assessing clinical effects, but RCTs were still a minority (25/158, 15.8%). From a technical viewpoint, interventions were leveraging the improved modalities (screen and sound) and interactivity of smartphones but only sparingly leveraged their truly novel capabilities, such as sensors, alternative delivery paradigms, and analytical methods.
Conclusions: There is a need for designing interventions for the full breadth of mental disorders, rather than primarily focusing on most prevalent disorders. We further contend that an increasingly systematic focus, that is, involving RCTs, is needed to improve the robustness and trustworthiness of assessments. Regarding technical aspects, we argue that further exploration and innovative use of the novel capabilities of smartphones are needed to fully realize their potential for the treatment of mental health disorders.},
note = {IF},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Smartphone apps are an increasingly popular means for delivering psychological interventions to patients suffering from a mental disorder. In line with this popularity, there is a need to analyze and summarize the state of the art, both from a psychological and technical perspective.
Objective: This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the use of smartphones for psychological interventions. Our systematic review has the following objectives: (1) analyze the coverage of mental disorders in research articles per year; (2) study the types of assessment in research articles per mental disorder per year; (3) map the use of advanced technical features, such as sensors, and novel software features, such as personalization and social media, per mental disorder; (4) provide an overview of smartphone apps per mental disorder; and (5) provide an overview of the key characteristics of empirical assessments with rigorous designs (ie, randomized controlled trials [RCTs]).
Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. We performed searches in Scopus, Web of Science, American Psychological Association PsycNET, and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, covering a period of 6 years (2013-2018). We included papers that described the use of smartphone apps to deliver psychological interventions for known mental disorders. We formed multidisciplinary teams, comprising experts in psychology and computer science, to select and classify articles based on psychological and technical features.
Results: We found 158 articles that met the inclusion criteria. We observed an increasing interest in smartphone-based interventions over time. Most research targeted disorders with high prevalence, that is, depressive (31/158,19.6%) and anxiety disorders (18/158, 11.4%). Of the total, 72.7% (115/158) of the papers focused on six mental disorders: depression, anxiety, trauma and stressor-related, substance-related and addiction, schizophrenia spectrum, and other psychotic disorders, or a combination of disorders. More than half of known mental disorders were not or very scarcely (<3%) represented. An increasing number of studies were dedicated to assessing clinical effects, but RCTs were still a minority (25/158, 15.8%). From a technical viewpoint, interventions were leveraging the improved modalities (screen and sound) and interactivity of smartphones but only sparingly leveraged their truly novel capabilities, such as sensors, alternative delivery paradigms, and analytical methods.
Conclusions: There is a need for designing interventions for the full breadth of mental disorders, rather than primarily focusing on most prevalent disorders. We further contend that an increasingly systematic focus, that is, involving RCTs, is needed to improve the robustness and trustworthiness of assessments. Regarding technical aspects, we argue that further exploration and innovative use of the novel capabilities of smartphones are needed to fully realize their potential for the treatment of mental health disorders. |
