Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jul 30;20(7):e10131.
doi: 10.2196/10131.

Using Mobile Phone Sensor Technology for Mental Health Research: Integrated Analysis to Identify Hidden Challenges and Potential Solutions

Tjeerd W Boonstra  1 , Jennifer Nicholas  1 , Quincy Jj Wong  1   2 , Frances Shaw  1 , Samuel Townsend  1 , Helen Christensen  1
Affiliations

Using Mobile Phone Sensor Technology for Mental Health Research: Integrated Analysis to Identify Hidden Challenges and Potential Solutions

Tjeerd W Boonstra et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Mobile phone sensor technology has great potential in providing behavioral markers of mental health. However, this promise has not yet been brought to fruition.

Objective: The objective of our study was to examine challenges involved in developing an app to extract behavioral markers of mental health from passive sensor data.

Methods: Both technical challenges and acceptability of passive data collection for mental health research were assessed based on literature review and results obtained from a feasibility study. Socialise, a mobile phone app developed at the Black Dog Institute, was used to collect sensor data (Bluetooth, location, and battery status) and investigate views and experiences of a group of people with lived experience of mental health challenges (N=32).

Results: On average, sensor data were obtained for 55% (Android) and 45% (iOS) of scheduled scans. Battery life was reduced from 21.3 hours to 18.8 hours when scanning every 5 minutes with a reduction of 2.5 hours or 12%. Despite this relatively small reduction, most participants reported that the app had a noticeable effect on their battery life. In addition to battery life, the purpose of data collection, trust in the organization that collects data, and perceived impact on privacy were identified as main factors for acceptability.

Conclusions: Based on the findings of the feasibility study and literature review, we recommend a commitment to open science and transparent reporting and stronger partnerships and communication with users. Sensing technology has the potential to greatly enhance the delivery and impact of mental health care. Realizing this requires all aspects of mobile phone sensor technology to be rigorously assessed.

Keywords: depression; ethics; mental health; mobile health; passive sensing; smartphone; ubiquitous computing; wearable sensors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the number of participants entering the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Completeness of data acquired by different devices used by participants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of Bluetooth devices that were detected. Blue indicates known devices and yellow unknown devices.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Global positioning system location data of participants during study.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Circadian movement estimated from global positioning system data of individual participants.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Battery life as function of the scanning rate of the Socialise app.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Participant ratings of the impact of the Socialise app on battery life.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Participants’ comfort with aspects and context of background data collection (GPS: global positioning system).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ben-Zeev D, Scherer EA, Wang R, Xie H, Campbell AT. Next-generation psychiatric assessment: Using smartphone sensors to monitor behavior and mental health. Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2015 Sep;38(3):218–226. doi: 10.1037/prj0000130. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/25844912 2015-14736-001 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Glenn T, Monteith S. New measures of mental state and behavior based on data collected from sensors, smartphones, and the Internet. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2014 Dec;16(12):523. doi: 10.1007/s11920-014-0523-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Torous J, Staples P, Onnela JP. Realizing the potential of mobile mental health: new methods for new data in psychiatry. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015 Aug;17(8):602. doi: 10.1007/s11920-015-0602-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Harari GM, Müller SR, Aung MS, Rentfrow PJ. Smartphone sensing methods for studying behavior in everyday life. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2017 Dec;18:83–90. doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.07.018. - DOI
    1. Onnela JP, Rauch SL. Harnessing Smartphone-Based Digital Phenotyping to Enhance Behavioral and Mental Health. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016 Jun;41(7):1691–1696. doi: 10.1038/npp.2016.7. doi: 10.1038/npp.2016.7.npp20167 - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types