Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: Depressive symptoms are common in people with type 2 diabetes and exacerbate disease burden through increased social and occupational impairment and greater morbidity and mortality. Effective depression treatments exist, however rates of depression screening in type 2 diabetes are variable, access to psychological support is characteristically low, and impact of treatment on daily functioning remains unclear. Web-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is easily accessible, private, non-stigmatising and a potential solution to reducing the substantial personal and public health impact of comorbid type 2 diabetes and depression. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the web-based CBT program, myCompass, for improving social and occupational functioning in a large community sample of people with type 2 diabetes and self-reported mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. myCompass is an unguided, public health treatment program for common mental health problems. Impact of treatment on depressive symptoms, diabetes-related distress, anxiety symptoms and self-care behaviour was also examined. Methods: Participants with type 2 diabetes and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms (N = 780) were recruited online and via community and general practice settings. Screening, consent and data collection were conducted online, and randomisation was to either myCompass (n = 391) for 8 weeks plus a 4-week tailing off period, or an active placebo intervention (n = 379). At baseline and post-intervention (3-months), participants completed the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9), Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 item (GAD-7) and items from the Self-Management Profile for Type 2 Diabetes (SMP-T2D). Results: At baseline, mean scores on several outcome measures, including the primary outcome of work and social functioning, were near to the normal range, despite a varied and extensive recruitment process. Of the 780 trial participants, 473 (61%) completed the post-intervention assessment. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed improvement in functioning, depression, anxiety, diabetes distress and healthy eating over time in both groups. Except for blood glucose monitoring and medication adherence, there were no specific between-group effects. Follow-up analyses suggested the outcomes did not depend on age, morbidity or treatment engagement. Conclusions: Improvement in social and occupational functioning and the secondary outcomes was generally no greater for myCompass users than users of the control program at 3 months post-intervention. These findings should be interpreted in light of near-normal mean baseline scores on several variables, the self-selected study sample and sample attrition. Further attention to factors influencing uptake and engagement with mental health treatments by people with type 2 diabetes, and the impact of illness comorbidity on patient conceptualisation and experience of mental health symptoms, is essential to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes. Clinical Trial: ACTRN12615000931572

Background: In most e-mental health (eMH) research to date, adherence is defined according to a trial protocol. However, adherence to a study protocol may not completely capture a key aspect of why participants engage with eMH tools, namely, to achieve personal mental health goals. As a consequence, trial attrition reported as non-adherence or dropout may reflect e-attainment, the discontinuation of eMH engagement after personal goals have been met. Clarifying engagement patterns, such as e-attainment, and how these align with mental health trajectories, may help optimize eMH design and implementation science. Objective: This study aimed to use clustering techniques to identify real-world engagement profiles in a community of eMH users and examine if such engagement profiles are associated with different mental health outcomes. The novelty of this approach was our attempt to identify actual user engagement behaviors, as opposed to employing engagement benchmarks derived from a trial protocol. The potential of this approach is to link naturalistic behaviors to beneficial mental health outcomes, which would be especially informative when designing eMH programs for the general public. Methods: Between May 2013 and June 2018, Australian adults (N=43,631) signed up to myCompass, a self-guided eMH program designed to help alleviate mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Recorded usage data included number of logins, frequency of mood tracking, number of started and completed learning activities, and number of tracking reminders set. A subset of users (n=168) completed optional self-assessment mental health questionnaires (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item, PHQ-9; Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 item, GAD-7) at registration and at 28 and 56 days after sign-up. Another subset of users (n=861) completed the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at registration and at 28 days. Results: Two-step cluster analyses revealed 3 distinct usage patterns across both subsamples: moderates, trackers, and super users, signifying differences both in the frequency of use as well as differences in preferences for program functionalities. For both subsamples, repeated measures analysis of variances showed significant decreases over time in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores. Time-by-cluster interactions, however, did not yield statistical significance in both subsamples, indicating that clusters did not predict symptom reduction over time. Interestingly, users who completed the self-assessment questionnaires twice had slightly but significantly lower depression and anxiety levels at sign-up compared with users who completed the questionnaires a third time at 56 days. Conclusions: Findings suggested that although users engaged with myCompass in different but measurable ways, those different usage patterns evoked equivalent mental health benefits. Furthermore, the randomized controlled trial paradigm may unintentionally limit the scope of eMH engagement research by mislabeling early mental health goal achievers as dropouts. More detailed and naturalistic approaches to study engagement with eMH technologies may improve program design and, ultimately, program effectiveness.

Psychological distress, an umbrella term encompassing emotional anguish and cognitive-behavioral symptoms of anxiety and depression, is closely linked to suicidal ideation. However, the mechanism o...

Background: Electronic mental health (e-mental health) programs for people with an intellectual disability are currently underexplored but may provide a way of mitigating some of the barriers that this population faces in accessing appropriate mental health services. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of Healthy Mind, an e-mental health program for adults with an intellectual disability developed by the Black Dog Institute, focusing on the design and implementation of the website. Methods: A qualitative research design was used, which involved semistructured interviews and focus groups with people with an intellectual disability, support workers, and allied health professionals. People with an intellectual disability were also observed while using the website. A thematic analysis was used to interrogate the interview transcripts and observational field notes. Results: Participants found the content of the website informative and appreciated the many ways that the website had been made accessible to users. Participants voiced some differing requirements regarding the way information should be presented and accessed on the website. Acknowledging different types of support needs was identified as an important issue for website dissemination. Conclusions: The Healthy Mind website promises to provide an excellent tool for people with ID and their supporters. This research has pragmatic implications for the future development and implementation of the program, while contributing to knowledge in the broader fields of e-mental health and inclusive design for people with an intellectual disability.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: People with type 2 diabetes often experience mental health symptoms that impair functioning, exacerbate illness and increase mortality risk. Access to psychological support is typically low in people with type 2 diabetes. Detection of depression is variable in the primary care setting and can be further impacted by the stigma attached to mental health conditions. Electronic mental health (eMH) programs may provide an accessible, private, non-stigmatising mental health solution for this group. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of an eMH program (myCompass) for improving social and occupational functioning in a community sample of people with type 2 diabetes and self-reported mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. myCompass is a fully-automated and self-guided online public health program for people with depression and/or anxiety. The effects of myCompass on depressive symptoms, diabetes-related distress, anxiety symptoms and self-care behaviour were also examined. Methods: Adults with type 2 diabetes and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms (n = 780) were recruited via online advertisements, community organisations and general practices. Screening, consent and self-report questionnaires were administered online. Eligible participants were randomised to receive either myCompass (n = 391) for 8 weeks plus a 4-week tailing off period, or an active attention control (n = 379). At baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-intervention, participants completed the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9), Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 item (GAD-7) and items from the Self-Management Profile for Type 2 Diabetes (SMP-T2D). Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) measures were obtained at baseline, 6- and 12-months post-intervention. Results: myCompass users logged-in an average of six times and completed an average of .29 modules. Healthy Lifestyles users logged-in an average of four times and completed an average of 1.37 modules. At baseline, mean scores on several outcome measures, including the primary outcome of work and social functioning, were near to the normal range, despite a varied and extensive recruitment process. Of the 780 trial participants, 304 (39%) completed all post-intervention assessments. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed slightly greater improvement in work and social functioning for the Healthy Lifestyles group relative to the myCompass group. All participants reported equivalent improvements in depression anxiety, diabetes distress, diabetes self-management and glycaemic control across the trial. Conclusions: The Healthy Lifestyles group reported higher ratings of social and occupational functioning than the myCompass group, but no differences were observed for any secondary outcome. Although these findings should be interpreted in light of the near-floor symptom scores at baseline, the trial yields insights into mental health research in the context of T2DM, particularly the issues of engagement with programs which focus specifically on mental health. Several avenues emerge for continued investigation into how best to deal with the growing mental health burden in adults with T2DM. Clinical Trial: ACTRN12615000931572