Research results find digital tools help with anxiety, stress and tics

Posted on 27 October 2015

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Research into digital tools to support the treatment & self-management of Tourette Syndrome

Research Assistant Aife Walsh has been completing her dissertation research at NIHR MindTech Healthcare Technology Co-operative. It is part of research being run by the MindTech research group at the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham Innovation Park.

The research investigated how mobile apps can support the treatment and self-management of Tourette syndrome (TS) and to identify what young people think of these products.
Aife reported that she really enjoyed undertaking this project and got a chance to meet face-to-face with some participants. The interviews were very interesting in hearing what some young people had to say. Overall, the results were very promising - many participants stated that they felt more confident and able to go out more in public because they could use the apps to help relax them in stressful situations.

Twelve young people (aged 10-17 years) with Tourette Syndrome were asked to try out four mobile apps for relaxation. After using the apps for two weeks, participants were then asked to rate them and take part in an interview to discuss their experiences of using the apps. Many mobile apps are downloaded and only used once, so for this study it was important to find out what would encourage young people to use an app. The study was based around a theory of motivation, called Self-Determination Theory. This theory suggests that three psychological needs should be met for one to engage in health-related behaviours, and that could be using a mobile health app. Each of the four apps used in this study varied on the number of psychological needs they reflected. For example, two apps contained features that reflected all three psychological needs of Self-Determination Theory, one app contained features that reflected two psychological needs, and the final app contained a feature that only reflected one psychological need. According to Self-Determination Theory, the two apps containing features that reflected all three psychological needs, would have been used more, and potentially would receive higher ratings. It was found that one app, called Pacifica, with features reflecting all three concepts of Self-Determination Theory received significantly higher ratings than the apps with fewer concepts. From using the app Pacifica, participants felt that they were more confident in public situations, more connected to and supported by others, and more in control over their anxiety, stress and tics. However, another app, called SAM, also reflecting three constructs of this theory, was not rated highly among participants because it was not easy to use. These findings show that features reflecting the three concepts of Self-Determination Theory influenced participants motivation to use an app, however the design of the app was found to be more important in influencing this motivation. Overall, the study found that young people with chronic conditions such as Tourette Syndrome appreciate control over managing their condition through the use of an app. This study also showed how important it is to involve the user when designing an app. This is because features that may stop someone using an app can be identified and changed to create an app that will be continually used over a long period of time.
This is part of a theme of research concerning digital tools to support the treatment & self-management of Tourette Syndrome in young people at MindTech.

If you have any questions about this research please contact Mindtech or Tourettes Action research manager Seonaid Anderson.

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