The Role of Religion and Technology in the Treatment of Depression
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2022-05-01
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Abstract
The project regarding religion and technology in the treatment of depression is an intentional investigation of several concepts. Religion and technology have independently been found to be helpful in treatment of depression, a pervasive and major cause of disability in the United States (Apaydin et al., 2018). This evidence-based project (EBP) intends to apply these concepts to a clinical support tool for depression. An application was designed compiling various online religious media resources for personal depression support. A convenience sample of patients from a rural private practice, was collected over three months. A pretest-posttest design was utilized to measure the efficacy of this application in improving mood. The surveys include demographic indicators, categorical questions, and the standardized Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for information collection. Descriptive statistics and f-tests were used to analyze the data collected for improvement in the subjective experience of depression. This was measured through three objectives: the PHQ-9 score, self-reported improvement in symptoms, and self-reported desire to continue using the application. The difference between the mean PHQ-9 score on the pre-test and post-test is 2.39 (P=0.0951), demonstrating some improvement in scores. The two-tailed f-test suggests that this difference is not statistically significant. Participants reported that 48% noticed an improvement in their symptoms with use of this application for a month. This falls short of the benchmark of >50%. Participants also reported that 64% of them are likely to continue to use this application. This measure exceeded the benchmark set for success of >50%. The outcomes reflect minimal benefit with the intervention though sample size and study design suggest caution with generalization of these results.
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religion, technology, faith, Spring Arbor University, Alison Stoughton, mental health, depression, treatment, spirituality, Christianity, mobile application