The researchers — led by Karen L. Whiteman, PhD, a psychiatry researcher at Hanover, N.H.-based Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth — developed an app based on an analysis of the technical abilities and needs of middle-aged and older adults with serious mental illnesses. The app was an adaptation of a psychosocial self-management intervention for older adults with psychiatric conditions.
To test the app’s usability, the researchers enrolled 10 older adults with serious mental illnesses and comorbid chronic conditions into a feasibility study. The participants, who had a mean age of 55.3, reported a high level of usability and satisfaction with the app.
The researchers determined an app intervention can serve as one of several components of community-based mental health services for middle-aged and older adults. “High usability ratings suggest that middle-aged and older adults with serious mental illness have the potential to use tailored smartphone interventions,” the study authors concluded.
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