MentalSpace (trauma app study)
Have you had one or more traumatic or extremely stressful experiences that have shaken your life? You are not alone.
Around 21% of the German population experience at least one potentially traumatic event in the course of their lives (Maercker, 2018). The reactions to such events are diverse and can range from no or short-term stress to serious mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and almost any other psychological sequelae. Although trauma-related disorders are associated with considerable suffering for those affected, they often go unrecognized and untreated.
Increasing crisis situations such as pandemics, wars and advancing climate change reinforce the need to improve care for people after extremely stressful events. Research findings support this by pointing to the increasing number of crises and the expected increase in trauma-related disorders and other psychopathological consequences. In this challenging situation, approaches for the prevention and early detection of trauma-related disorders are essential.
App-based prevention services offer a promising opportunity to reach those affected across the board and provide support at an early stage. Such applications can help to reduce stigmatization and reach a larger number of those affected. However, there is currently a lack of empirically evaluated digital prevention services.
This is where our "MentalSpace: Seeking Prevention After Critical Events" project comes in. In October 2024, a pilot study was successfully completed in which those affected were asked about their needs and barriers to using a prevention app.
The aim of the "MentalSpace" project is to develop and evaluate an app that serves to prevent trauma-related disorders and other psychopathological consequences. The app is based on the concept of "watchful waiting", in which symptoms are regularly monitored and, if necessary, active support for further therapeutic measures is suggested. This is supplemented by psychoeducational modules designed to support those affected in normalizing and coping with traumatic or extremely stressful events and to activate their resources. The content is based on the S2k guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of acute psychological trauma sequelae (DeGPT, 2019).
No new participants are currently being recruited. However, our therapy study, in which we are testing the effectiveness of this prevention app, is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2025. The app will be made available to you free of charge. In addition, you will be asked to take part in online psychodiagnostic tests several times during the study. Further information on participation will be added in due course.
If you are interested in participating, you can already leave your e-mail address at the following link so that we can notify you as soon as the study begins: https://bildungsportal.sachsen.de/umfragen/limesurvey/index.php/896568?lang=de
If you have any further questions about the project, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Social media channel: https://www.instagram.com/mentalspaceapp/
Study supervisors: Annika Jung (M.Sc.), Prof. Dr. Katja Beesdo-Baum, Dr. Judith Schäfer
Research interns: Amelie Haberlander (B.Sc.), Esther Harms (B.Sc.), Anna Hausmann (B.Sc.), Nicole Klubkova (B.Sc.), Ronja Schindler (B.Sc.), Anja Tschögl (B.Sc.)
The study is part of Annika Jung 's doctoral project with the working title "Digital innovation in the Saxon healthcare system: Development and evaluation of an app for the prevention of trauma-associated disorders".