Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40321891›Full record

ArticleDigital health

RegulEm, a smartphone app based on the unified protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders: description of its application in blended format in a clinical case.

Laura Martínez-García, Jon Belaunzaran Mendizabal, María Asunción Santos Goñi, Ignacio Miralles, Jorge Osma

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Laura Martínez-GarcíaDepartment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3163-3471
Jon Belaunzaran MendizabalMental Health Center of Zarautz, Mental Health Network of Gipuzkoa, Zarautz, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8351-7651
María Asunción Santos GoñiRío Hortega University Hospital of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0574-3324
Ignacio MirallesInstitute of New Imaging Technologies, Castellón, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1205-5434
Jorge OsmaDepartment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7293-318X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: The Spanish national health system (SNHS) faces significant barriers to psychological care, such as long waiting lists and a lack of human resources. In addition, with emotional disorders being the most prevalent disorders worldwide, and less than half of those affected receiving proper treatment, there is an urgent need for new treatment alternatives for this group of disorders. The Unified Protocol (UP) is presented as a possible solution that has amply demonstrated its efficacy in different formats and contexts. Another promising alternative involves the use of blended formats, combining face-to-face UP sessions with a UP-based application. This manuscript focuses on the description of RegulEm, a UP-based application developed following a participatory design approach. In addition, a case example of receiving UP in a blended format in a specialized mental health unit of the SNHS is presented. Methods: The following components of RegulEm are described: content and exercises of the modules; aesthetics and multimedia-based content; intervention delivery; testimonials section; emotional and motivation assessment; exposure hierarchy for guided in vivo and imaginal exposure; emergency button and Gamification. A case example of a 26-year-old male patient with anxiety and depressive symptoms receiving UP in a blended format in a specialized mental health unit of the SNHS is presented. Results: The user showed improvements in emotional regulation skills, anxiety, and depressive symptoms over time, though stressors remained. RegulEm allowed independent progress between face-to-face UP sessions, but low internalization of some content emphasized the importance of therapist guidance in face-to-face sessions. User feedback highlighted satisfaction with the intervention but improvement proposals for RegulEm were identified, such as simplifying emotional exposure exercises. Conclusion: This manuscript describes in detail the first UP-based smartphone application's components and illustrates important implications, such as enabling users to progress at their own pace between sessions and advancing more quickly in the intervention.

Indexed as

app descriptionblended formatemotional disorderspublic health settingSmartphone appunified protocol

Identifiers

PMID40321891
PMCPMC12048758

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.