ArticleBMC medical research methodology2015
Validity of single item responses to short message service texts to monitor depression: an mHealth sub-study of the UK ACUDep trial.
Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Randomized controlled pilot trial of supportive text messages for patients with depression.BMC psychiatry · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Disclosing depressive symptoms: perceived sensitivity of PHQ-9 items in a general population sample.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Single-item measures in digital mental healthcare: a mini narrative review of challenges and opportunities.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Evaluating How Mental Health Changed in Australia through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the 'International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Assessment of Psychological Distress in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Through Technologies: Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Review
- Serial measurement of mood via text messaging in young people.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2020Article
- Immediate Mood Scaler: Tracking Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Novel Mobile Mood Scale.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2017Article
- Advice given by community members to pregnant women: a mixed methods study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2016Article
- Cross-sectional survey evaluating Text4Mood: mobile health program to reduce psychological treatment gap in mental healthcare in Alberta through daily supportive text messages.BMC psychiatry · 2016Article
- The meaning of vaguely quantified frequency response options on a quality of life scale depends on respondents' medical status and age.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAn increasing number of research designs are using text messaging (SMS) as a means of self-reported symptom and outcome monitoring in a variety of long-term health conditions, including severity ratings of depressed mood. The validity of such a single item SMS score to measure latent depression is not currently known and is vital if SMS data are to inform clinical evaluation in the future.
methodsA sub-set of depressed participants in the UK ACUDep trial submitted a single SMS text score (R-SMS-DS) between 1 and 9 on how depressed they felt around the same time as completing the PHQ-9 depression questionnaire on paper at 3 months follow-up of the trial. Exploratory categorical data factor analysis (EFA) was used to ascertain the alignment of R-SMS-DS scores with the factor structure of the PHQ-9. Any response bias with regard to age or gender was assessed by differential item functioning (DIF) analysis.
resultsDepression scores based on the PHQ-9 and R-SMS-DS at 3 months were available for 337 participants (74 % female; mean age: 42 years, SD = 11.1), 213 of which completed the two outcomes within 6 days of each other. R-SMS-DS scores aligned with the underlying latent depression of the PHQ-9 (factor loading of 0.656) and in particular its affective rather than somatic dimension. The R-SMS-DS score was most strongly correlated with depressed mood (r = 0.607), feeling bad about oneself (r = 0.588) and anhedonia (r = 0.573). R-SMS-DS responses were invariant with respect to gender (p = 0.302). However, there was some evidence for age related response bias (p = 0.031), with older participants being more likely to endorse lower R-SMS-DS scores than younger ones.
conclusionsThe R-SMS-DS used in the ACUDep trial was found to be a valid measure of latent affective depression with no gender related response bias. This text message item may therefore represent a useful assessment and monitoring tool meriting evaluation in further research. For future study designs we recommend the collection of outcome data by new health technologies in combination with gold standard instruments to ensure concurrent validity.
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