ESM Pilot: Mobile Phones and Psychology

July 19, 2017 updated by: Maastricht University Medical Center

Investigating the Relationship Between Mobile Phone Usage and Emotions. A Pilot Study Using the Experienced Sampling Method

The research team will investigate whether there is a relation between smartphone usage and psychological parameters using the smartphone application.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

There are indications for mobile phone effects on psychological and psychological functioning. Most publications on this subject report effects on 'mobile phone addiction'. A methodological problem in these studies is the collection of data in retrospect. With the mobile phone application it is possible to prevent this type of bias. By collecting real-life data in a longitudinal design with a 2 x N=1 pilot study, it is possible to obtain an impression of the relationship between mobile phone usage and emotion/behavior efficiently.

The objective of this study is to investigate whether there is a relation between smartphone usage and psychological parameters in young adults. Taking into accordance the type of research (observational) and the present state of literature (the relationship between mobile phones and psychological effects has not been studied before using the experience sampling method (E.S.M.)) the following hypothesis are formulated. It is expected that the undesired absence of one's phone will lead to an enlarged stress level. Furthermore, it is expected that an increase of phone usage will lead to more depressive symptoms, to less concentration and to sleep disturbance. Finally, it is expected that loneliness will lead to increased phone usage.

A longitudinal pilot study, in which the participant will be asked to fill out the mobile phone application questionnaire 10 times a day at random moments on a smartphone, during a 3 months period.

The mobile phone application questionnaire contains a series of multiple choice questions about the present affect (three positive, five negative), the present context and activities (physical activity, occupation, presence of other people), physical discomfort (fatigue, concentration level, pain) and mobile phone usage (frequency, frustration when unable to use phone) since the last beep. Positive affect: cheerful, mentally fit and relaxed. Negative affect: irritated, bored, lonely, stressed and worrying. The answers will be registered using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 'not' to 'very'.

Participants will be invited to the research location twice for a briefing (30 minutes) and a debriefing session (30 minutes). Furthermore the participants will be asked to fill out the mobile phone application questionnaire on a daily base after every beep. It is expected this will cost a time investment of approximately 15 minutes per day. The questionnaires are generally experienced as a small burden (in previous research performed by this department). Participation is not associated with health risks.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

2

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
    • Limburg
      • Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands, 6226 NB
        • Mondriaan, locatie Vijverdal, Maastricht University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years to 25 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • healthy
  • good understanding of dutch language
  • smartphone user

Exclusion Criteria:

  • psychiatric diagnosis
  • pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Questionnaires
Other: questionnaires
questionnaire with application on smartphone

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Questionnaire using the experience sampling method, administered by the mobile phone application.
Time Frame: after 3 months

The mobile phone application questionnaire will be offered 10 times a day at random moments on the smartphone of the participants, during a 3 months period.

The mobile phone application questionnaire contains a series of multiple choice questions about the present affect (three positive, five negative), the present context and activities (physical activity, occupation, presence of other people), physical discomfort (fatigue, concentration level, pain) and mobile phone usage (frequency, frustration when unable to use phone) since the last beep. Positive affect: cheerful, mentally fit and relaxed. Negative affect: irritated, bored, lonely, stressed and worrying. The answers will be registered using a 7-point scale, ranging from 'not' to 'very'.
after 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Maastricht University Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jim van Os, prof. dr., Maastricht University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

May 15, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 14, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 18, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

July 19, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 21, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 19, 2017

Last Verified

July 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NL55632.068.15

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

digitally obtained data will be uploaded

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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