We are not enrolling for this study at the moment!

What does this study entail?

• Using a mental health app designed for college students for 1 month.

What does the app do?

• Collects responses from daily surveys you will receive. 
• Collects background location information. 
• Offers mental health resources and information.​
• Offers mindfulness, meditation, and breathing interventions. 
• Shows survey data and passive data with feedback.

Procedure:

• Complete the eligibility and background survey through the RedCap link above.
• If you qualify for the study, you will be directed to the informed consent document. 
• Once you complete the informed consent, you will be directed to download the app and watch a 10 minute video about study details.
• Use the app for 28 days! During this time you will received 2 payments of $15 amazon gift cards! 
• Give feedback on the app and receive your final $20 amazon gift card.

Purpose

A surge in the rate of mental health problems on college campuses has overwhelmed counseling centers and left many students without access to the resources they need. ​

Method

We are investigating the implementation of digital tools to improve the current state of care on college campuses and understand how a mobile app may be adapted to support students' mental health. ​

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Collection

We intend to recruit 1000 college students from across the country to participate in this study. Each participant will use the mindLAMP app on their smartphone to collect passive data (GPS, accelerometer, screen time) and active data (daily mood surveys).

Interpretation

Student data collected through the apps is analyzed to look for associations between behavior and mental health (i.e. how did sleeping behavior impact daily depression scores?)

Implementation

The LAMP app will be adjusted to better serve the college student population. This will include adaptive interventions targeted to students when their mood or behavior changes. This revised LAMP app will then be tested with a group of students.

See our results

Relevant Reading

Melcher, J., Torous, J.: Smartphone Apps for College Mental Health: A Concern for Privacy and Quality of Current Offerings. Psychiatric Services 2020.
Melcher, J., Hays, R., Torous, J.: Digital Phenotyping for Mental Health of College Students: A Clinical Review. Evidence-Based Mental Health 2020.​
Lattie, E. G., Lipson, S. K., & Eisenberg, D.: Technology and College Student Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10.​
Melcher, J., Camacho, E., Lagan, S., Torous, J.: College Student Engagement with Mental Health Apps: Analysis of Barriers to Sustained Use. Journal of American College Health 2020. See Article
​Melcher, J., Lavoie, J., Hays, R., et al. Digital Phenotyping of Student Mental Health During COVID-19: an Observational Study of 100 College Students. Journal of American College Health. 2021. See Article.

Questions?

Please contact Jenny
collegestudy@bidmc.harvard.edu
​617-667-0029