Background: 

Over the past decade, our research team has successfully developed an mHealth app (Roadmap). Roadmap offers a menu of positive psychology interventions (PPIs: positive piggy bank, gratitude journal, savoring, pleasant activity scheduling, random acts of kindness, signature strengths, love letter, engaging with beauty) to foster individual strengths and protective variables (e.g., optimism, gratitude, positive emotions). Roadmap also collect digital signals through wearable sensors (Fitbits®) and self-reported outcomes.

Aims: 

This study leveraged the Roadmap app during Fall 2020 to characterize: self-reported outcomes of physical, mental, and social health; and engagement with the app (i.e., define app usage and understand potential barriers to app usage) in a population of college students. 

Method: 

After completing a baseline assessment of demographics, mental, and social health constructs through the Roadmap app, students were instructed to use Roadmap freely throughout the 4-month study duration, wear the Fitbit®, and completed monthly assessments. 1997 participants consented, enrolled, and met criteria for data analyses. Students were instructed to engage with the PPIs, chat anonymously with other study participants, and view a graphical trend of their daily mood, steps, and sleep. Detailed logs of all app interactions were recorded through timestamps.  Continuous measures were described using mean (SD) values, while categorical measures were summarized as n (%) values.

Results:

Black students were more likely to be depressed and lonely than White students. First-generation, female, and non-binary students were more likely to be depressed, anxious, and lonely. According to app timestamps, ~50% participants engaged with Roadmap during Month 1, which decreased over time. By engaging with Roadmap (i.e., seeing or responding in the chat or completing a positive activity), mood trended toward improvement from 2 days prior to engagement up to three days later.

Conclusion: 

PPIs delivered via Roadmap may boost mood and well-being. To further promote app engagement, we are currently examining the combination of Roadmap with in-person coaches to coach the app.