Ecological Momentary Assessment: A Meta-Analysis on Designs, Samples, and Compliance across Research Fields

Wrzus, Cornelia; Neubauer, A.

doi:10.31234/osf.io/vmr8q

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This development would be hard to account for with typical VAR models. Beyond the issue of stationarity, experience sampling studies commonly follow individuals for a short time, often around one or two weeks (Wrzus & Neubauer, 2021), and might thus miss slow changes developing over a longer time frame. We aim to investigate the possibilities of circumventing these limitations by using recently developed methods for the estimation of time-varying models for psychological applications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal dynamics of depressive symptomatology: An idiographic time series analysis applying network models to patients with depressive disorders

Siepe¹,

Sander²,

Schultze³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: As phenotypes of depressive disorders (DD) are highly heterogenous, a growing number of studies investigate person-specific associations of depressive symptoms in time series data. Most available methods for estimating applicable models rely on the assumption that the associations between variables stay constant over time, which can be unrealistic in clinical contexts. To circumvent this limitation, we used a recently developed technique to estimate time-varying vector autoregressive models. Methods: In daily diary data of 20 participants with DD with a mean length of 274 days (SD = 82.4, range = 154-539), we modeled idiographic associations between core depressive symptoms, rumination, sleep, and quantity and quality of social contacts as idiographic time-varying dynamical networks. Results: Resulting models showed marked inter- as well as intraindividual differences. For some participants, associations between variables changed fast over time, whereas for others they showed more stability. Our results further indicated nonstationarity in all time series. Discussion: Idiographic symptom networks of depression can be of interest to clinicians and researchers as they can capture changes over time and provide detailed insights into the temporal course of mental disorders. Whilst the assumption of stationarity can hinder insights into important change processes, time-varying network models are a promising approach. We discuss limitations, their possible solutions, and recommendations for further use of the modeling technique.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal dynamics of depressive symptomatology: An idiographic time series analysis applying network models to patients with depressive disorders

Siepe¹,

Sander²,

Schultze³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This software was designed for multi-platform compatibility, which allows for automated notifications for participants using a quasi-random temporal sampling structure (participants were randomly prompted six times between 8:00 and 22:00). The duration and number of survey notifications followed similar designs to previous research ( 24 , 27 , 42 ). Participants were given a 30-min window to respond to each survey notification, this was to ensure that participants gave in-the-moment responses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Feasibility and acceptability of experience sampling among LGBTQ+ young people with self-harmful thoughts and behaviours

Williams

Arcelus²,

Townsend³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

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This study was the first to determine whether it was feasible and acceptable to use experience sampling methods (ESM) among LGBTQ+ young people, who had current experiences of self-harm. Sixteen LGBTQ+ young people (16–25 years old) took part in the experience sampling study. This included a baseline assessment, a 7-day ESM assessment (participants were sampled six times a day using a phone app), and the option of an interview at the end of the 7-day ESM assessment. Feasibility data was descriptively analysed, with pilot ESM data presented. Qualitative data was thematically analysed to determine the acceptability (barriers and facilitators) of taking part in this study. Study feasibility was assessed by enrolment rate (55.2%), participant retention across assessment period (100%), ESM app feasibility (87.5%), and good adherence to total number of ESM surveys (67.6%). Individual study adherence ranged between 43 and 95.2%. Study acceptability was assessed by participant interviews. Thematic analysis indicated four superordinate themes; (i) Self-reflection and awareness; (ii) Practicalities of ESM surveys; (iii) Daily timeframes; and (iv) Suggestions for future studies. Pilot ESM data demonstrates that there was fluctuation of depressive and anxiety symptoms within- and between- participants over the course of the study, however, greater sample power is needed for full analysis. This study demonstrated that ESM designs are feasible and acceptable among LGBTQ+ young people with current experiences of self-harm. Pilot data indicated that specific experiences and moods are likely to be important to self-harm. These potentially have a temporal influence on self-harm behaviour or ideation, and therefore should be examined in a fully powered sample.

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“…Because there is no empirical evidence to support considerations key to the design of EMA studies, decisions are typically made on an ad-hoc and expedient basis such as regarding the perceived feasibility or following decisions made in prior research, with unclear validity and generalizability (Janssens et al, 2018). Relatedly, meta-analytic work has mostly focused on compliance rates (Wrzus & Neubauer, 2022).…”

Section: Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Studying personality pathology with ecological momentary assessment: Harmonizing theory and method.

Kaurin¹,

King²,

Wright³

2023

Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment

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Over the past 20 years, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has become a vital part of the methods repertoire used to study personality pathology. This is because EMA facilitates modeling (dys)function consistent with clinical theory as an ensemble of contextualized dynamic within-person processes, such as when and how relevant socio-affective responses may become disrupted in daily life. Despite its popularity, there is little systematic work on the conceptual adequacy and cross-study consistency in the design choices and reporting standards of EMA studies on personality disorders. EMA protocol design choices impact the reliability and validity of conclusions, and variability in choices affect replicability and thus credibility of the conclusions drawn. We provide an overview of the core decisions researchers face in designing an EMA study organized around the "three Ds": density (frequency of surveys), depth (length of surveys), and duration (number of days in a protocol). To identify the typical and range of used study designs, including what personality disorder researchers view as important and where there are gaps in our knowledge, we reviewed relevant studies published over the years 2000 to 2021. Of 66 identified unique EMA protocols, studies scheduled $6.5 assessments per day with an average of $21 items, lasted for $13 days, and obtained a compliance of $75%. Generally, denser studies had less depth and shorter duration, whereas protocols with longer duration tended to be deeper. We offer recommendations on how valid research on personality disorders can be organized around these considerations with the goal of reliably uncovering temporal dynamics in personality (dys)functioning.

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Ecological Momentary Assessment: A Meta-Analysis on Designs, Samples, and Compliance across Research Fields

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

Temporal dynamics of depressive symptomatology: An idiographic time series analysis applying network models to patients with depressive disorders

Temporal dynamics of depressive symptomatology: An idiographic time series analysis applying network models to patients with depressive disorders

Feasibility and acceptability of experience sampling among LGBTQ+ young people with self-harmful thoughts and behaviours

Studying personality pathology with ecological momentary assessment: Harmonizing theory and method.

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