An Ecological Momentary Intervention for people with social anxiety: A descriptive case study

This study describes the development and pilot evaluation of a smartphone- delivered Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) for people with social anxiety symptoms. Using a software engineering framework (agile modeling, model-driven development, bottom-up development), mental health experts and software developers collaborated to develop a 4-module EMI app designed to reduce social anxiety in real-time. Fifty-five participants with social anxiety were randomly allocated to the EMI or a wait-list control arm. App downloads, usage and user satisfaction data were collected and mental health outcomes assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Software development practices allowed mental health experts to distil core elements of a psychological intervention into discrete software components but there were challenges in engaging mental health experts in the process. Relative to control there was no significant reduction in social anxiety among the EMI participants in the pilot trial. However, post-test data were available for only 4 intervention and 10 control participants and only 2 (4.0%) of the EMI participants downloaded the app. The two participants who both accessed the app and completed the post-test reported being satisfied with the intervention. Future research should address managing resources and providing additional training to support ongoing engagement with key stakeholders.