BACKGROUND
Mobile mental health apps (MHealth apps) are a cost-effective option for managing mental health problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The efficacy of MHealth apps depend on engagement with the app, but few studies have examined how users engage with different features of MHealth apps for PTSD.
OBJECTIVE
Using data from a pilot trial of Renew, an exposure-based app for PTSD, we tested whether engagement with exposure activities is associated with greater reductions in PTSD symptoms.
METHODS
Veterans (N = 69) self-reported PTSD symptoms before and after a six-week intervention period. App usage data was collected using a research-instrumented dashboard.
RESULTS
A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that greater exposure engagement was related to greater PTSD symptom reduction. Moreover, this was true even when controlling for overall engagement with the app. The number of characters written during imaginal exposure and amount of time spent completing exposure activities were significant contributors to the model.
CONCLUSIONS
Engagement with specific, active therapeutic components of MHealth apps, such as exposure, may be more important for symptom change than overall engagement with mHealth apps.