Using the Socialise app to collect smartphone sensor data for mental health research: A feasibility study

To investigate the feasibility of collecting smartphone sensor data for mental health research, we tested the Socialise app that was developed at the Black Dog Institute in a group of people with a lived experience of mental health challenges (n=32). Bluetooth, GPS and battery status data were collected at regular intervals (3, 4, 5 or 8 minutes) for 4 weeks. In addition, survey data was collected using the app to investigate the views of participants on user experience and the acceptability of passive data collection for mental health research. No mental health data was collected as part of the feasibility study.