ArticleJMIR formative research2021
A Mobile App to Enhance Behavioral Activation Treatment for Substance Use Disorder: App Design, Use, and Integration Into Treatment in the Context of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02707887 (Technology Enhanced Behavioral Activation Treatment for Substance Use), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
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.
Technology Enhanced Behavioral Activation Treatment for Substance Use
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of the WeChat-based mini-program ("Sober Time ACT") on individuals with hazardous drinking in China: a randomized controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2025Trial
- Group behavioral activation with and without a smartphone app in intensive outpatient treatment for substance use disorder: A three-arm randomized controlled trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Trial
- Treatment of Substance Use Disorders With a Mobile Phone App Within Rural Collaborative Care Management (Senyo Health): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Therapeutic Content of Mobile Phone Applications for Substance Use Disorders: An Umbrella Review.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2024Article
- The Cultural Adaption of a Sobriety Support App for Alaska Native and American Indian People: Qualitative Feasibility and Acceptability Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Patient Preferences for Mobile Health Applications to Support Recovery.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGroup-based formats typically used in low-resource substance use disorder (SUD) treatment settings result in little individual attention to help reinforce and guide skill use, which may contribute to poor posttreatment outcomes. Smartphone apps offer a convenient, user-friendly, and cost-effective tool that can extend the reach of effective SUD treatments. A smartphone app was developed and integrated into a group-based, brief behavioral activation (BA) treatment for SUD to increase engagement in treatment skills outside clinician-administered sessions.
objectiveThis study aims to describe the features of the app and its use and integration into treatment, report the participants' self-reported feasibility and acceptability of the app, and discuss challenges and provide recommendations for future smartphone app integration into behavioral treatments for SUD.
methodsA total of 56 individuals recruited from intensive outpatient SUD treatment received a smartphone-enhanced BA treatment, the Life Enhancement Treatment for Substance Use. Self-reported weekly app use and reasons for nonuse were assessed at posttreatment and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. In addition, 2-tailed t tests and chi-square tests compared the self-reported use of each app component and overall app use over time.
resultsParticipant feedback suggested that the integration of the smartphone app into the Life Enhancement Treatment for Substance Use was feasible and well accepted, and participants found the app useful for planning value-based activities outside of sessions. Self-reported app engagement decreased over the follow-up period: 72% (39/54) of participants reported using the app at posttreatment, decreasing to 69% (37/54) at the 1-month follow-up and 37% (20/54) at the 3-month follow-up. Participants reported forgetting to use the app as a primary reason for nonuse.
conclusionsThis study provides support for the feasibility and acceptability of smartphone-enhanced BA treatment, offering promise for future research testing the integration of technology into SUD treatment. Design decisions may help streamline smartphone integration into treatment, for example, allowing participants to download the treatment app on their own phones or use a low-cost study smartphone (or offering both options). Long-term app engagement may be increased via built-in reminders, alerts, and in-app messages.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02707887; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02707887.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.