Supporting the mental wellbeing of children through interactions with a chatbot

INTERVENTION: Randomisation: This study aims to examine two digital interventions for adolescents who may be experiencing emotional or depressive symptoms (and adults in the initial formative study). We will use randomization to assign participants to one of two arms: intervention or control. The randomization process will be carried out using the Qualtrics randomizer, which employs block randomization to ensure balanced groups. Intervention group: The participants in the intervention group will be asked to engage with a mobile application that uses a “conversational interface” to deliver ESM to tap into the daily life symptoms experiences of adolescents. This intervention is referred to as C‐ESM. The program will be offered through an application that participants may download to their smartphone or tablet and access at any time through access codes. All questions on emotions, sleep quality, and mood in the C‐ESM will be presented in a conversational way, with participants interacting through quick replies or by answering open‐ended questions to elaborate on their feelings. A particular emphasis has been made on making this interaction delightful and exciting for the participants. Control Group: This application, which we will utilize in the control group, will be comparable to the C‐ESM in terms of content, information flow, and notifications, but will transmit the material through a normal mobile app format (radio buttons, checkboxes, text fields). The program will be delivered through a mobile application that users may download to their smartphone or tablet. For the adolescent study, we plan to use schools and teachers as contact points (building on a similar previ CONDITION: Identifying and preventing the development of emotional problems in adolescents ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders PRIMARY OUTCOME: Compliance rate: the total number of completed responses divided by the total number of times the questionnaires are presented. The total number of questionnaires also includes instances when users opt not to respond to the questionnaires. Measured at the end of the study SECONDARY OUTCOME: ; 1. Self‐reflection measured through a multiple choice question measured at follow up; 2. The retention rate is the proportion (or percentage) of participants who are included in the final analysis. Subjects who leave from a study, for example, because the data collection technique is perceived to be excessively difficult, are excluded. Measured at the end of the study.; 3. User engagement measured using the User Engagement Scale (UES) at follow up; 4. Compatibility of app use with personal values: The compatibility of personal values and technology use will be assessed by the measure proposed by Elena Karahann at follow up; 5. Perceived usefulness measured using a four‐item scale at follow up; INCLUSION CRITERIA: Formative study: 1. Adult males/females (18 years or older) 2. Must have access to the internet 3. Must have a smartphone that allows for the downloading of mobile applications 4. Able to consent to participate 5. Able to understand and comprehend English Main study with adolescents: 1. Adolescents (from 10‐18 years old) 2. Must live in the Netherlands 3. Must be able to understand Dutch 4. Must be able to consent to participate or their parents need to provide consent. 5. Must have access to the internet 6. Must have a smartphone that allows for the downloading of mobile applications