The optimisation of experience sampling protocols in people with schizophrenia

Abstract

Experience sampling methodology (ESM) involves completing questionnaires during daily life and has been used extensively in people with schizophrenia to assess symptoms and behaviours. Despite considerable advantages over interview measures, there is limited information about its external validity. Our aim is to investigate whether ESM protocol implementation is affected differentially in people with schizophrenia and healthy individuals by factors such as mood, medication and symptoms which would have implications for validity. Fifty-three people with schizophrenia and fifty-eight controls from the general population completed seven ESM questionnaires per day for six consecutive days. Compliance and acceptability, including overall experience, training and disruption of normal routines, were recorded. Overall questionnaire completion rate in people with schizophrenia was comparable to controls (i.e. over 70%). People with schizophrenia completed significantly fewer questionnaires in the morning but did not show fatigue effects over the experience sampling period. Excluding questionnaires in the morning did not significantly alter the findings. In the schizophrenia group medication level and symptoms did not influence adherence. However, higher disruption was associated with reduced questionnaire completion in this group. These findings suggest that minimising disruption may enhance validity and completion rates. ESM is a valid methodology to use with people with schizophrenia. Highlights This is the first study to examine the validity of an ESM protocol.  People with schizophrenia show similar protocol compliance to healthy controls.  People with schizophrenia complete fewer questionnaires in the morning.  Medication and symptom levels do not influence questionnaire completion rates.  Levels of reported disruption were associated with reduced questionnaire completion.

Modeling the Interplay Between Psychological Processes and Adverse, Stressful Contexts and Experiences in Pathways to Psychosis: An Experience Sampling Study

“…However, previous research has shown that the ESM is a feasible, reliable, and valid assessment method in various populations. 16,17,30,47 Applying this method enabled us to study the interplay of psychological processes in everyday life where these processes and their association with PE naturally occur.…”

Feasibility and acceptability of post-hospitalization ecological momentary assessment in patients with psychotic-spectrum disorders

“…Yet, preliminary research supports the short-term feasibility and acceptability of EMA in psychosis via mobile devices [13, 14]. Various studies show that people with schizophrenia accept and can be trained to use EMA and that compliance is comparable to that of nonclinical populations [14-19]. Notably, EMA has demonstrated incremental validity over traditional retrospective reports in assessing symptoms associated with schizophrenia [18, 20].…”

Navigating through complexity

“…However, previous research has shown that the ESM is a feasible, reliable, and valid assessment method in various populations [16,17,31,48].…”

“…Interview [48] was used to measure experiences of bullying. This inventory consists of 84 items covering physical, verbal, and indirect forms of bullying during primary school and high school.…”

“…To date, little attention has been paid to the role of genetic factors on behavioral outcome measures regarding social evaluative stress. Also, environmental and other contextual factors may increase risk in individuals with a susceptible genotype [14,[43][44][45][46][47][48]. Individuals with a certain genotype may be more susceptible to the effects of, for instance childhood trauma, may respond with dysregulations in HPA axis activity and, in turn, show altered stress reactivity later in life [49].…”