Table 2. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques in the Mindset smartphone intervention for depression.a.
| Rank | CBTb category | Top module | Pages, n (%) | Mean per module when present (SD) | Examples of implementation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychoeducation | 1 | 164 (50.5) | 20.5 (23.1) | Explanation of the difference between sadness and depression |
| 2 | Skill building | 1 | 110 (33.8) | 13.8 (12.9) | Prompting participants to log 3 activities a day |
| 3 | Cognitive restructuring | 1 | 46 (14.2) | 23.0 (21.2) | Identifying a negative thought or belief and typing in a more balanced thought |
| 4 | Activity scheduling | 3-8 | 42 (12.9) | 7.0 (0.0) | Scheduling 3 activities per day and rating the mood for each activity |
| 5 | Self-monitoring | 1 | 39 (12.0) | 5.6 (13.8) | Logging 3 activities per day and rating mood for each activity |
| 6 | Homework assignment | 1 | 32 (9.8) | 4.0 (0.5) | Direction to at least 3 log activities in order to move to next module |
| 7 | Expressing self-kindness | 1 | 25 (7.7) | 4.2 (2.4) | “Write an encouraging note to self” |
| 8 | Problem-solving | 1 | 21 (6.5) | 2.6 (0.8) | Ask participants to identify and write down barriers to planned activities in the app |
| 9 | Identification of values | 1 | 12 (3.7) | 1.5 (1.9) | Selection of activities aligned with personal values |
| 10 | Stimulus control | 1 | 11 (3.4) | 2.8 (3.5) | “Turn off notifications while practicing mindfulness” |
| 11 | Labeling emotions | 1 | 10 (3.1) | 10 (0.0) | Encouragement to reflect on and name what emotion they feel after a challenging situation |
| 12 | Modeling | 1 | 6 (1.8) | 6.0 (0.0) | Demonstration of how to set a SMARTc goal |
| 13 | Relapse prevention | 8 | 5 (1.5) | 5.0 (0.0) | Preparing a plan for anticipated stressful events |
| 14 | Mindfulness | 4-6 | 3 (0.9) | 1.0 (0.0) | Guided breathing exercise with attention to present-moment sensations |
| 15 | Guided imagery | 6 | 1 (0.3) | 1.0 (0.0) | “Visualize placing each thought on a cloud and watching it drift away” |
| 16 | Treatment goal setting | 1 | 1(0.3) | 0.1 (0.4) | Set goal in alignment with values |
a
Cognitive behavioral therapy strategies were coded 528 times throughout all 8 intervention modules. As such, percentages are reported as a percentage of the total app pages (N=325).
b
CBT: cognitive behavioral therapy.
c
SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.