Adverse Childhood Experiences and Building Resilience With the JoyPop App: Evaluation Study

MacIsaac, Angela; Mushquash, Aislin R.; Mohammed, Shakira; Grassia, Elizabeth; Smith, Savanah; Wekerle, Christine

doi:10.2196/25087

Cited by 31 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 82 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is beneficial to assist individuals during moderately stressful experiences by providing them with self-regulatory skills (eg, emotion regulation) when they need them so that these skills might be added to their coping repertoire over time and become habitual resilient responses in times of stress [ 8 ]. The objective of this study was to explore user experiences with a resilience-building intervention (the JoyPop app [ 9 , 10 ]) and their perspectives on its utility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent evidence has demonstrated that mHealth interventions, including apps, are feasible and effective methods of increasing symptom reporting and improving medication and treatment adherence and health knowledge in those with chronic health conditions [ 14 - 16 ]. Evidence to date has also supported an mHealth approach for many different mental health–related targets, such as mood disorders, stress, and substance use [ 17 , 18 ], with emerging support for mHealth approaches to resilience [ 9 ]. Focusing on building resilience through mHealth approaches is in line with the recent recommendations that mental health-related apps be geared toward general well-being and fostering self-regulatory skills (eg, emotion regulation) as opposed to focused on addressing specific mental health disorders [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resilience-building JoyPop app (see Figure 1 ) targets self-regulation through features that promote self-reflection and self-awareness [ 10 ]. As documented by MacIsaac et al [ 9 ], the JoyPop app was developed to focus on daily self-regulation through evidence-based techniques. Rate My Mood is a self-monitoring feature meant to increase insight and regulation of emotions [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research to date suggests that the JoyPop app contributes to positive changes in outcomes related to resilience among youth. In a sample of undergraduate students making the transition to university who were asked to use the app for 4 weeks, improvements in emotion regulation and depression symptoms were evidenced with each additional day a participant used the app [ 9 ]. Further, improvements in emotion regulation were especially evident for individuals who had experienced a greater degree of adversity during childhood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

User Perspectives on a Resilience-Building App (JoyPop): Qualitative Study

Mushquash¹,

Pearson²,

Waddington³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Resilience is the capability, resources, and processes that are available to a person or system to adapt successfully in the face of stress or adversity. Given that resilience can be enhanced, using advances in technology to deliver and evaluate the impact of resilience interventions is warranted. Evidence supports the effectiveness of the resilience-building JoyPop app in improving resilience-related outcomes after use; however, experiential data from users is also needed to provide a more comprehensive account of its utility. Objective The aim of this study was to explore users’ experiences with the JoyPop app and their perspectives on its utility. Methods This qualitative description study involved a combination of group and one-on-one semistructured interviews with a subset of first-year undergraduate students who participated in a larger evaluation of the JoyPop app. Participants used the app for a 4-week period and were subsequently asked about their frequency of app use, most and least used features (and associated reasons), most and least helpful features (and associated reasons), barriers to use, facilitators of use and continuation, and recommendations for improvement. Data were coded and categorized through inductive content analysis. Results The sample of 30 participants included 24 females and 6 males, with a mean age of 18.77 years (SD 2.30). App use ranged from 1 to 5 times daily (mean 2.11, SD 0.74), with the majority indicating that they used the app at least twice daily. The Rate My Mood, Journal, and SquareMoves features were reported to be used most often, while the Rate My Mood, Journal, and Breathing Exercises features were identified as the most helpful. A number of themes and subthemes pertaining to facilitators of app use (prompts, creating routine, self-monitoring opportunities, expressive opportunities), barriers to app use (editing, lack of variety, student lifestyle), outcomes of app use (increased awareness, checking in with oneself, helpful distraction, emotional control), and recommendations for app improvement (adding more features, enhancing existing features, enhancing tracking abilities, providing personalization) were identified. Conclusions This study provides insight into the aspects of the JoyPop app that motivated and benefitted users, as well as measures that can be taken to improve user experiences and promote longer-term uptake. Users were willing to engage with the app and incorporate it into their routine, and they valued the ability to self-monitor, express emotion, and engage in distraction.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

User Perspectives on a Resilience-Building App (JoyPop): Qualitative Study

Mushquash¹,

Pearson²,

Waddington³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This paper will highlight the current landscape of mHealth available to support Indigenous youth and, further, demonstrate how an existing application, JoyPop TM will be adapted to be the first mobile application created specifically with and for Indigenous youth, integrating clinical psychology science strategies for the promotion of their resilience. To date, JoyPop TM has shown promising results in doing no harm, reducing depression scores, and increasing emotion regulation skills (MacIsaac et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Mobile Applications to Support Indigenous Youth Wellbeing in Canada

Noronha

Hill

Hill³

et al. 2021

IJCAR

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Canada, Indigenous youth have remained resilient despite being confronted with a wide range of structural and systemic risks, such as long-lasting boil water advisories, over-representation in the child welfare system, and injustices related to land treaties. As people of the land, all disruptions to ecological health are a disruption to personal and community holistic health. Land-based activities and cultural continuity strengthen pathways of perseverance for Indigenous youth (Toombs et al., 2016). For youth, cultural self-expression and personal agency are enhanced with digital platforms, which are well-suited to Indigenous people’s strengths in art, music, and oral forms of passing on knowledge. The field of mental health has turned to e-supports such as mobile applications (apps) that can provide easy-to-access intervention, when needed. To date, resilience interventions have received comparatively less attention than the study of resilience factors and processes. It is timely to review the extant literature on mental health apps with Indigenous youth as, currently, Indigenous apps are in early research stages. Critically reviewing work to date, it is argued that an inclusive and expansive concept of resilience, coherent with Indigenous holistic health views, is well-positioned as a foundation for collaborative resilience app development. To date, few mental health apps have been researched with Indigenous youth, and fewer have been co-constructed with Indigenous youth and their community members. The current literature points to feasibility in terms of readiness or potential usage, and functionality for promoting an integrated cultural and holistic health lens. As this effort may be specific to a particular Indigenous nation’s values, stories, and practices, we highlight the Haudenosaunee conceptual wellness model as one example to guide Indigenous and non-Indigenous science integration, with a current project underway with the JoyPopTM mHealth app for promoting positive mental health and resilience.

show abstract