Background Happy Ending (HE) is an intense 1-year smoking cessation program delivered via the Internet and cell phone. HE consists of more than 400 contacts by email, Web pages, interactive voice response, and short message service technology. HE includes a craving helpline and a relapse prevention system, providing just-in-time therapy. All the components of the program are fully automated.Objective The objectives were to describe the rationale for the design of HE, to assess the 12-month efficacy of HE in a sample of smokers willing to attempt to quit without the use of nicotine replacement therapy, and to explore the potential effect of HE on coping planning and self-efficacy (prior to quitting) and whether coping planning and self-efficacy mediate treatment effect.Methods A two-arm randomized controlled trial was used. Subjects were recruited via Internet advertisements and randomly assigned to condition. Inclusion criteria were willingness to quit on a prescribed day without using nicotine replacement and being aged 18 years or older. The intervention group received HE, and the control group received a 44-page self-help booklet. Abstinence was defined as “not even a puff of smoke, for the last seven days” and was assessed by means of Internet surveys or telephone interviews 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postcessation. The main outcome was repeated point abstinence (ie, abstinence at all four time points). Coping planning and self-efficacy were measured at baseline and at the end of the preparation phase (ie, after 2 weeks of treatment, but prior to cessation day).ResultsA total of 290 participants received either the HE intervention (n=144) or the control booklet (n=146). Using intent-to-treat analysis, participants in the intervention group reported clinically and statistically significantly higher repeated point abstinence rates than control participants (20% versus 7%, odds ratio [OR] = 3.43, 95% CI = 1.60-7.34, P = .002). Although no differences were observed at baseline, by the end of the preparation phase, significantly higher levels of coping planning (t 261 = 3.07, P = .002) and precessation self-efficacy (t 261 = 2.63, P = .01) were observed in the intervention group compared with the control group. However, neither coping planning nor self-efficacy mediated long-term treatment effect. For point abstinence 1 month after quitting, however, coping planning and self-efficacy showed a partial mediation of the treatment effect.Conclusions This 12-month trial documents a long-term treatment effect of a fully automated smoking cessation intervention without the use of nicotine replacement therapy. The study adds to the promise of using digital media in supporting behavior change.

The study demonstrated the effects of the automated web-based universal intervention Mamma Mia on perinatal depressive symptoms.

BackgroundCurrently, 10-15% of women giving birth suffer from symptoms of postpartum depression. Due to a lack of knowledge of this condition and the stigma associated with it, as well as few treatment options, a large proportion of postpartum women with depression remain untreated. Internet-based interventions have been found effective in treating depression, anxiety, phobias, and addictions. Hence, we developed such program (“Mamma Mia”) with the aim of reducing the risk for postpartum depression and enhance subjective well-being. Mamma Mia is based on positive psychology, metacognitive therapy, and couples therapy. It starts in gestational week 22, and lasts until 6 months after birth. During pregnancy, Mamma Mia is delivered weekly (every Monday). After birth, Mamma Mia is delivered three times per week for six weeks. The remaining weeks, the program is delivered more sporadically. In total, Mamma Mia consists of 44 sessions. The program is individualized, interactive, and tunneled (ie, the user is guided through the program in a pre-determined manner).ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study was to pilot test the intervention in order to assess the feasibility and acceptance among program users.MethodsThe present paper reports a feasibility study that combined quantitative survey data with semi-structured interviews. Participants (N=103) were recruited via hospitals, well-baby clinics, and Facebook. Due to time constraint in completing the current study, our results were based on participation in one of the two phases: pregnancy or maternity. Participants in the pregnancy phase were surveyed 4 and 8 weeks after intervention enrollment, and participants in the postnatal phase were surveyed 2 and 4 weeks after intervention enrollment. The survey assessed perceived usefulness, ease-of-use, credibility, and unobtrusiveness. All measures were filled in by participants at both measurement occasions. Data were analyzed by running descriptives and frequencies with corresponding percentages. Binomial tests were carried out to investigate whether demographics differed significantly from a 50/50 distribution. Paired sample t tests were used to examine differences between time 1 and 2. Four participants were interviewed in the qualitative follow-up study, where they were given the opportunity to address and elaborate on similar aspects as assessed in the survey.ResultsMore than two-thirds of users found Mamma Mia to be of high quality and would recommend Mamma Mia to others. By far, most also found the amount of information and frequency of the intervention schedule to be appropriate. Mamma Mia was perceived as a user-friendly and credible intervention.ConclusionsOverall, the user acceptance of Mamma Mia was good and our findings add to the feasibility of the program. The effect of Mamma Mia on depression and subjective well-being will be evaluated in a large randomized controlled trial, and if found to be effective, Mamma Mia could serve as a low-threshold prevention program.

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BackgroundDepression is one of the most common mental health problems among adults, but effective treatments are not widely accessible. The Internet holds promise as a cost-effective and convenient delivery platform of interventions for depression. However, studies suggest that Internet interventions are not widely available in routine settings.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to review the literature and examine whether there are systematic differences in reporting of the various implementation components on Internet interventions for depression, and then to examine what is known about and is characteristic of the implementation of these Internet interventions in regular care settings.MethodsWe performed a scoping review, drawing upon a broad range of the literature on Internet interventions for depression in regular care, and used the active implementation framework to extract data.ResultsOverall, the results suggested that knowledge about the implementation of Internet interventions for depression in regular care is limited. However, guided support from health professionals emphasizing program adherence and recruitment of end users to the interventions emerged as 2 main themes. We identified 3 additional themes among practitioners, including their qualifications, training, and supervision, but these were scarcely described in the literature. The competency drivers (ie, staff and user selection, training, and supervision) have received the most attention, while little attention has been given to organizational (ie, decision support, administration, and system intervention) and leadership drivers.ConclusionsResearch has placed little emphasis on reporting on the implementation of interventions in practice. Leadership and organizational drivers, in particular, have been largely neglected. The results of this scoping review have implications for future research and efforts to successfully implement Internet interventions for depression in regular care.

The internet seems promising for delivering interventions to enhance well-being in a normal population. The aim of this study was to test the effects of an internet-based positive psychology intervention targeting gratitude, pleasant activities, strengths, mastery, acts of kindness, optimism, flow, attributions, and mindfulness. One-hundred and twelve participants were randomized to the intervention and 94 to the control group, and data were collected at baseline, one, two, and six months after intervention onset. The balance of positive to negative affect increased over time among participants in the intervention group (unstandardized beta coefficient [B] = 0.07, p < 0.01), as compared to the controls (B = 0.02, p = 010). The intervention worked equally well regardless of participants' gender, age, or education. However, optimism did not mediate the effect of the intervention on affect balance. In conclusion, the intervention had a small, but significant effect on affect balance among healthy adults.

BackgroundStress is commonly experienced by many people and it is a contributing factor to many mental and physical health conditions, However, few efforts have been made to develop and test the effects of interventions for stress.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the effects of a Web-based stress-reduction intervention on stress, investigate mindfulness and procrastination as potential mediators of any treatment effects, and test whether the intervention is equally effective for females as males, all ages, and all levels of education.MethodsWe employed a randomized controlled trial in this study. Participants were recruited online via Facebook and randomly assigned to either the stress intervention or a control condition. The Web-based stress intervention was fully automated and consisted of 13 sessions over 1 month. The controls were informed that they would get access to the intervention after the final data collection. Data were collected at baseline and at 1, 2, and 6 months after intervention onset by means of online questionnaires. Outcomes were stress, mindfulness, and procrastination, which were all measured at every measurement occasion.ResultsA total of 259 participants were included and were allocated to either the stress intervention (n=126) or the control condition (n=133). Participants in the intervention and control group were comparable at baseline; however, results revealed that participants in the stress intervention followed a statistically different (ie, cubic) developmental trajectory in stress levels over time compared to the controls. A growth curve analysis showed that participants in the stress intervention (unstandardized beta coefficient [B]=–3.45, P=.008) recovered more quickly compared to the control group (B=–0.81, P=.34) from baseline to 1 month. Although participants in the stress intervention did show increases in stress levels during the study period (B=2.23, P=.008), long-term stress levels did decrease again toward study end at 6 months (B=–0.28, P=.009). Stress levels in the control group, however, remained largely unchanged after 1 month (B=0.29, P=.61) and toward 6 months (B=–0.03, P=.67). Mediation analyses showed nonlinear (ie, cubic) specific indirect effects of mindfulness and a linear specific indirect effect of procrastination on stress. In simple terms, the intervention increased mindfulness and decreased procrastination, which was related to lower stress levels. Finally, the effect of the stress intervention was independent of participants’ gender, age, or education.ConclusionsThe results from this randomized controlled trial suggest that a Web-based intervention can reduce levels of stress in a normal population and that both mindfulness and procrastination may be important components included in future eHealth interventions for stress.Trial RegistrationInternational Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 25619675; http://controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN25619675 (Archived by Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6FxB1gOKY)

BackgroundAs much as 10-15% of new mothers experience depression postpartum. An Internet-based intervention (Mamma Mia) was developed with the primary aims of preventing depressive symptoms and enhancing subjective well-being among pregnant and postpartum women. A secondary aim of Mamma Mia was to ease the transition of becoming a mother by providing knowledge, techniques, and support during pregnancy and after birth.ObjectiveThe aim of the paper is to provide a systematic and comprehensive description of the intervention rationale and the development of Mamma Mia.MethodsFor this purpose, we used the intervention mapping (IM) protocol as descriptive tool, which consists of the following 6 steps: (1) a needs assessment, (2) definition of change objectives, (3) selection of theoretical methods and practical strategies, (4) development of program components, (5) planning adoption and implementation, and (6) planning evaluation.ResultsMamma Mia is a fully automated Internet intervention available for computers, tablets, and smartphones, intended for individual use by the mother. It starts in gestational week 18-24 and lasts up to when the baby becomes 6 months old. This intervention applies a tunneled design to guide the woman through the program in a step-by-step fashion in accordance with the psychological preparations of becoming a mother. The intervention is delivered by email and interactive websites, combining text, pictures, prerecorded audio files, and user input. It targets risk and protective factors for postpartum depression such as prepartum and postpartum attachment, couple satisfaction, social support, and subjective well-being, as identified in the needs assessment. The plan is to implement Mamma Mia directly to users and as part of ordinary services at well-baby clinics, and to evaluate the effectiveness of Mamma Mia in a randomized controlled trial and assess users’ experiences with the program.ConclusionsThe IM of Mamma Mia has made clear the rationale for the intervention, and linked theories and empirical evidence to the contents and materials of the program. This meets the recent calls for intervention descriptions and may inform future studies, development of interventions, and systematic reviews.