Sperantia.App: an online application to take care of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Este trabajo recoge el desarrollo y primeros resultados de Sperantia, una aplicación móvil y web diseñada para el cuidado de la salud mental.

Background: Sperantia.App is a web and mobile phone application that conducts a psychological assessment and provides orientations adjusted to the users’ responses. We developed Sperantia.App to mitigate the psychological impact caused by the pandemic by making psychological support more accessible. It is directed at four population groups: healthcare workers, grieving persons, families with children, and the general population. Here we describe its development and preliminary results.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team (psychologists, engineers, physiotherapists) developed Sperantia.App between July 2020 and May 2021. Sperantia.App uses well-validated instruments to assess depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), complicated grief, personality traits, and health habits (sleeping, eating, substance consumption). For families with children, additional child-related variables (e.g., child’s temperament) are measured. Users receive orientations according to their responses (e.g., participants scoring above the cut-off for depression receive behavioral activation therapy instructions). When people obtain high-risk scores, Sperantia.App facilitates the derivation to mental health professionals. A campaign to spread Sperantia.App utilization was implemented.

Findings: 2544 people have used Sperantia.App, 64.6% were women, 85,5% were 20-59 years old, 9.4% were healthcare workers, 14.3% were grieving persons, and 3.1% replied to questions about their children. Regarding mental health, 62.8% scored above the cut-off for depression, 59.3% for anxiety, and 68.3% for PTSS. Users replied to more than 86% of the questions. Besides, 154 psychologists are currently registered as professionals.

Discussion: Web- and mobile-based interventions are a useful first step for mental healthcare. Sperantia.App is free, easily accessible, and can bring psychological attention closer to those who need it.