Smartphone apps for mental health and wellbeing: A usage survey and machine learning analysis of psychological and behavioral predictors

Objective Despite the availability of thousands of mental health applications, the extent to which they are used and the factors associated with their use remain largely unknown. The present study aims to (a) assess in a representative US-based population sample the use of smartphone apps for mental health and wellbeing (SAMHW), (b) determine the variables predicting the use of SAMHW, and (c) explore how a set of variables related to mental health, smartphone use, and smartphone “addiction” may be associated with the use of SAMHW. Methods Data was collected via online questionnaire from 1989 adults. The data gathered included information on smartphone use behavior, mental health, and the use of SAMHW. Latent class analysis was used to categorize participants. Machine learning and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the most important predictors of SAMHW use and associations between predictors and outcome variables. Results While two-thirds of participants had a statistically high probability for using SAMHW, nearly twice more had high probability for using them to improve wellbeing compared to using them to address mental health problems (43% vs. 18%). In both groups, these participants were more likely to be female and in the younger adult age bracket than male and in the adult or older adult age bracket. According to the machine learning model, the most important predictors for using the relevant smartphone apps were variables associated with smartphone problematic use, COVID-19 impact, and mental health problems. Conclusion Findings from the present study confirm that the use of SAMHW is growing, particularly among younger adult and female individuals who are negatively impacted by problematic smartphone use, COVID-19, and mental health problems. These individuals tend to bypass traditional care via psychotherapy or psychopharmacology, relying instead on smartphones to address mental health conditions or improve wellbeing. Advising users of these apps to also seek professional help and promoting efforts to prove the efficacy and safety of SAMHW would seem necessary

Assessment of the Popularity and Perceived Effectiveness of Smartphone Tools That Track and Limit Smartphone Use: Survey Study and Machine Learning Analysis.

International audienceBACKGROUND: Problematic smartphone use, like problematic internet use, is a condition for which treatment is being sought on the web. In the absence of established treatments, smartphone-provided tools that monitor or control smartphone use have become increasingly popular, and their dissemination has largely occurred without oversight from the mental health field. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the popularity and perceived effectiveness of smartphone tools that track and limit smartphone use. We also aimed to explore how a set of variables related to mental health, smartphone use, and smartphone addiction may influence the use of these tools. METHODS: First, we conducted a web-based survey in a representative sample of 1989 US-based adults using the crowdsourcing platform Prolific. Second, we used machine learning and other statistical tools to identify latent user classes; the association between latent class membership and demographic variables; and any predictors of latent class membership from covariates such as daily average smartphone use, social problems from smartphone use, smartphone addiction, and other psychiatric conditions. RESULTS: Smartphone tools that monitor and control smartphone use were popular among participants, including parents targeting their children; for example, over two-thirds of the participants used sleep-related tools. Among those who tried a tool, the highest rate of perceived effectiveness was 33.1% (58/175). Participants who experienced problematic smartphone use were more likely to be younger and more likely to be female. Finally, 3 latent user classes were uncovered: nonusers, effective users, and ineffective users. Android operating system users were more likely to be nonusers, whereas younger adults and females were more likely to be effective users. The presence of psychiatric symptoms did not discourage smartphone tool use. CONCLUSIONS: If proven effective, tools that monitor and control smartphone use are likely to be broadly embraced. Our results portend well for the acceptability of mobile interventions in the treatment of smartphone-related psychopathologies and, potentially, non-smartphone-related psychopathologies. Better tools, targeted marketing, and inclusive design, as well as formal efficacy trials, are required to realize their potential

Smartphone apps for mental health and wellbeing: A usage survey and machine learning analysis of psychological and behavioral predictors

Objective Despite the availability of thousands of mental health applications, the extent to which they are used and the factors associated with their use remain largely unknown. The present study aims to (a) assess in a representative US-based population sample the use of smartphone apps for mental health and wellbeing (SAMHW), (b) determine the variables predicting the use of SAMHW, and (c) explore how a set of variables related to mental health, smartphone use, and smartphone “addiction” may be associated with the use of SAMHW. Methods Data was collected via online questionnaire from 1989 adults. The data gathered included information on smartphone use behavior, mental health, and the use of SAMHW. Latent class analysis was used to categorize participants. Machine learning and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the most important predictors of SAMHW use and associations between predictors and outcome variables. Results While two-thirds of participants had a statistically high probability for using SAMHW, nearly twice more had high probability for using them to improve wellbeing compared to using them to address mental health problems (43% vs. 18%). In both groups, these participants were more likely to be female and in the younger adult age bracket than male and in the adult or older adult age bracket. According to the machine learning model, the most important predictors for using the relevant smartphone apps were variables associated with smartphone problematic use, COVID-19 impact, and mental health problems. Conclusion Findings from the present study confirm that the use of SAMHW is growing, particularly among younger adult and female individuals who are negatively impacted by problematic smartphone use, COVID-19, and mental health problems. These individuals tend to bypass traditional care via psychotherapy or psychopharmacology, relying instead on smartphones to address mental health conditions or improve wellbeing. Advising users of these apps to also seek professional help and promoting efforts to prove the efficacy and safety of SAMHW would seem necessary

PHF6-altered T-ALL harbored epigenetic repressive switch at bivalent promoters and respond to 5-azacitidine and venetoclax

Purpose: To assess the impact of PHF6 alterations on clinical outcome andtherapeutical actionability in T cells acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).Experimental Design: We described PHF6 alterations in an adult cohort of T-ALL fromthe French trial GRAALL 2003/2005 and retrospectively analyzed clinical outcomesbetween PHF6-altered (PHF6ALT) and wild-type patients. We also used EPIC andChIP-seq data of patient samples to analyze the epigenetic landscape of PHF6ALT T-ALLs. We consecutively evaluated 5-azacitidine efficacy, alone or combine withvenetoclax, in PHF6ALT T-ALL.Results: We show that PHF6 alterations account for 47% of cases in our cohort anddemonstrate that PHF6ALT T-ALL presented significantly better clinical outcomes.Integrative analysis of DNA methylation and histone marks shows that PHF6ALT arecharacterized by DNA hypermethylation and H3K27me3 loss at promotersphysiologically bivalent in thymocytes. Using patient-derived xenografts (PDX), weshow that PHF6ALT T-ALL respond to the 5-azacytidine alone. Finally, synergism withthe BCL2-inhibitor venetoclax was demonstrated in refractory/relapsing PHF6ALT T-ALL using fresh samples. Importantly, we report three cases of refractory/relapsed(R/R) PHF6ALT patients who were successfully treated with this combination.Conclusions: Overall, our study supports the use of PHF6 alterations as a biomarkerof sensitivity to 5-azacytidine and venetoclax combination in R/R T-ALL