Cognitive schemas in daily life - an Experience-Sampling Method study

Data was collected between May 2019 and March 2021. Healthy adult participants were recruited via SONA (except for the first 5 pilot participants).
During the baseline appointment, several questionnaires and tasks were assessed (Depressive symptoms: Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI); Ruminative thinking style: Ruminative Response Scale (RRS); Cognitive schemas: 80-item Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ); Anxiety: Anxiety Sensitivity Index(ASI); Memory bias: Self-Referent Encoding Task (SRET); Worry: Penn State Worry Questionnaire(PSWQ).
Experience Sampling Method: The ESM-phase of the study started on the subsequent day. Participants were prompted at random time intervals for 6 consecutive days, 5 times a day via a smartphone, using the Movisens application. Schemas were assessed during each prompt. Mood (positive, negative) and context (location, company) were assessed at every prompt as well, as well as repetitive negative thinking (rumination and worry) and events triggering such thinking. Further, participants were asked to briefly describe the worry/rumination subject and to indicate if there was a trigger (i.e. an event). Event-based prompts were also included in the ESM protocol. Here, the participants were instructed to open the application at a time they are worrying or ruminating. Clear instructions were provided to the participants on what can be considered an event.
Participants came to the lab for the baseline appointment. This included, signing of informed consent, the questionnaire assessment, the memory task and the explanation of the application. They received a smartphone and were asked to sign an agreement of use form for the use of the smartphone. The following 6 days were at home. On the next day, participants came to the department again, filled out an awareness check and handed in the smartphone. Moreover, they were asked to fill out a user experience questionnaire, to further improve the quality of the application.