Mobile app shows potential in addressing post-traumatic symptoms

A new mobile application, Bounce Back Now (BBN), may help reduce postdisaster symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depressed mood, and sleep disturbance, according to a study.

Participant access rates were similar between BBN and enhanced usual care (EUC) apps, but active engagement was higher among BBN users (d, 0.31). Specifically, BBN users engaged more actively in coping skills activities than in more time-intensive elements designed to promote behaviour change.

Symptom reduction was moderate in both conditions (BBN: Cohen’s d values for the 3-month postbaseline assessment ranged from 0.49 to 0.60; EUC: range, 0.36‒0.41).

In latent change models, BBN users showed greater reductions in depression, sleep difficulty, and PTSD symptoms than EUC users. These differences persisted at the 6- and 12-month postbaseline assessments.

“Population impact is driven by reach and effectiveness,” the investigators said. “The potential reach of BBN is high, which heightens opportunity for population-level impact, but per-user symptom reduction was modest.”

This population-based trial included 1,357 adults affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, or Michael in 2017 and 2018. Participants were eligible if they were aged ≥18 years, had access to an internet-accessible device, could speak English, and lived in a hurricane-affected area.

Developers designed the BBN app to address symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression, and sleep disturbance using evidence-based techniques grounded in behavioural and cognitive principles. The investigators measured symptoms of depression, sleep, and post-traumatic stress.

“Per-user impact may be improved by embedding digital health resources in the context of a broader healthcare strategy,” they said.