Enhancing Delivery of Problem Solving Therapy Using SmartPhone Technology

Summary

This project will be the first to evaluate the Moving Forward app in VA. Identifying an effective treatment for anxiety and depression in primary care is imperative within Veterans Health Administration as they are both common, chronic, and debilitating conditions associated with a number of personal and health-related costs. In close partnership with app developers at Mental Health Services, a major contribution of this research is the actionable feedback on the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of augmenting traditional Problem Solving Therapy with the Moving Forward app for future app development. If effectiveness can be established, Moving Forward has the potential for integration into the larger continuum of care for depression and anxiety in Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (e.g., care management, co-located collaborative care). Lastly, this pilot project will provide preliminary data for future research on SmartPhone technology. Veteran feedback on treatment components, ease of executing the study successfully and preliminary effect size calculations, will inform the design of the larger project.

Conditions

• Depression
• Anxiety

Interventions

OTHER

Problem Solving Therapy plus Moving Forward

All Veterans will receive a standard 6-session administration of Problem Solving Therapy (Nezu \& D'Zurilla, 1999). Session 1 will take place in-person during a scheduled appointment and will last for 1 hour. Subsequent sessions will take place over the telephone and will last for approximately 30 minutes. Participants in this arm will also receive the Moving Forward app for SmartPhones, which was adapted from Problem Solving Therapy to be used either as a standalone treatment or as an adjunct to other related therapies such as in-person Problem Solving Therapy or the Moving Forward website. The phone content matches Problem Solving Therapy. Benefits of the app include 24-hours accessibility of psychoeducational materials and worksheets.

OTHER

Problem Solving Therapy

All Veterans will receive a standard 6-session administration of Problem Solving Therapy (Nezu \& D'Zurilla, 1999). Session 1 will take place in-person during a scheduled appointment and will last for 1 hour. Subsequent sessions will take place over the telephone and will last for approximately 30 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Kathleen M Grubbs, PhD · Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center, Little Rock, AR

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

64 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-04-30

Primary Completion

2015-03-31

Completion

2015-03-31

Countries

• United States