Efficacy of the mHealth App Intellect in Improving Subclinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial With a 4-Week Follow-Up
2024

Using the Intellect App to Help University Students with OCD

Sample size: 192 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Cox David, Choi Ellie, Arnaez Sandra, Lee Yoon Li Madeline, Lee Si Min Stephanie, Sündermann Oliver

Primary Institution: National University of Singapore

Hypothesis

Participants in the OCD program will report significant reductions in OCD outcomes compared with the active control group at postintervention and 4-week follow-up.

Conclusion

The self-guided OCD program on the Intellect app is effective in reducing subclinical OCD among university students in Singapore.

Supporting Evidence

  • The intervention group reported significantly lower OCD symptom severity compared to the control group.
  • Maladaptive perfectionism was positively correlated with OCD symptoms.
  • The app-based program produced sustained effects after 4 weeks.

Takeaway

This study shows that using a mobile app can help students with OCD feel better and reduce their symptoms.

Methodology

University students were randomly assigned to an 8-day self-guided app program on OCD or an active control group, with measures taken at baseline, postintervention, and 4-week follow-up.

Potential Biases

Self-report measures may introduce biases, and participants were not fully blinded to the study's hypothesis.

Limitations

The study's sample was limited to university students from one institution, which may affect generalizability.

Participant Demographics

The sample included 171 females, 52 males, 1 nonbinary, and 1 other gender, with a mean age of 21.68 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

P=.02 for postintervention; P=.044 for follow-up

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2196/63316

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication