Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42492084›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2026

Rapid Development and Testing of Behavioral Text Message Reminders for Antidepressant Adherence via Online Panels: Survey Study.

Tia R Tropea, Steven C Marcus, Amy Bucher, Cadence F Bowden, Mark Olfson, Rebecca E Stewart

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2026. 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

6 authors.

Tia R TropeaDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Fl, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States, 1 (215) 898-0457.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-3781-4868
Steven C MarcusSchool of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7819-3824
Amy BucherBehavioral Reinforcement Learning Lab (BReLL), Lirio, Inc., Knoxville, TN, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6514-4441
Cadence F BowdenSchool of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5297-9933
Mark OlfsonDepartment of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3958-5662
Rebecca E StewartDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Fl, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States, 1 (215) 898-0457.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6453-6715

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: SMS text message reminders have been used to promote many health behaviors, such as improving diet and physical activity, managing chronic health conditions, reminding patients about medical appointments, and supporting medication adherence across a range of health conditions. Despite their promise, developing effective reminders tailored to specific patient populations is resource-intensive. AI may facilitate item development, and online research panels may provide an efficient way to test message content with target users prior to implementing large-scale trials. Objective: This study aimed to (1) develop a library of antidepressant adherence-promoting SMS text messages that are perceived as helpful, (2) test whether an online panel approach can be used to evaluate them, and (3) identify message characteristics perceived as most helpful by patients with depression taking antidepressant medication. Methods: In total, 83 SMS text message reminders were developed based on barriers to adherence and behavior change technique pairings, with approximately half authored by the study team, and half generated by AI. Using an online panel, we recruited 181 American adults with depression currently prescribed an antidepressant medication. Each participant rated a subset of messages on how much they thought each would help them remember to take their medication. Associations between message characteristics and ratings were estimated using generalized linear models in Stata. Survey weights were used in analyses to align the sample with national antidepressant user demographics. Results: The online panel was able to rapidly recruit a sample of participants, who provided 7520 item ratings in total. AI-generated messages were rated as significantly more helpful than those authored by humans (adjusted mean difference 0.24 on a 5-point scale, 95% CI 0.12-0.36; P<.001). Messages addressing delayed symptom benefit were preferred over other adherence barriers, and behavior change techniques emphasizing self-monitoring (P<.001), habit formation (P<.001), and natural consequences (P<.001) received significantly higher ratings than those using external influence or support. No difference was observed between motivational and informational message content. Conclusions: Online panels offer a rapid, scalable approach to evaluating SMS text message reminders for patients currently taking antidepressants. When provided with specific instructions and human-led examples, AI can efficiently generate message content perceived to be helpful in promoting medication adherence. Given that AI-generated content received higher ratings than human-authored messages, future work may consider using this tool to support rapid intervention development. In addition, identifying common barriers to adherence and applying behavior change techniques to address those barriers can inform targeted message development and support adherence. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the utility of combining low-cost methods such as online panel research with AI to accelerate the design and preliminary evaluation of digital health interventions.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDepressionInternetMedication AdherenceReminder SystemsText MessagingAdherence InterventionsAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedAntidepressive AgentsAIantidepressantsartificial intelligencebehavior change techniquesintervention developmentmedication adherenceSMS text message reminder

Identifiers

PMID42492084
PMCPMC13395428

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.