Smartphone app to investigate the relationship between social connectivity and mental health

Abstract

Interpersonal relationships are necessary for successful daily functioning and wellbeing. Numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of social connectivity for mental health, both through direct peer-to-peer influence and by the location of individuals within their social network. Passive monitoring using smartphones provides an advanced tool to map social networks based on the proximity between individuals. This study investigates the feasibility of using a smartphone app to measure and assess the relationship between social network metrics and mental health. The app collected Bluetooth and mental health data in 63 participants. Social networks of proximity were estimated from Bluetooth data and 95% of the edges were scanned at least every 30 minutes. The majority of participants found this method of data collection acceptable and reported that they would be likely to participate in future studies using this app. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using a smartphone app that participants can install on their own phone to investigate the relationship between social connectivity and mental health.

4 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (2)

• Extracting the multiscale backbone of complex weighted networks
• Measuring large-scale social networks with high resolution

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Using mobile phone sensor technology for mental health research: Integrated analysis to identify hidden challenges and potential solutions
• Predicting Depressive Symptom Severity through Individuals' Nearby Bluetooth Devices Count Data Collected by Mobile Phones: A Preliminary Longitudinal Study
• Validation of a smartphone app to map social networks of proximity