Raugh IM, James SH, Gonzalez CM, Chapman HC, Cohen AS, Kirkpatrick B, Strauss GP (2021). Digital phenotyping adherence, feasibility, and tolerability in outpatients with schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 138, 436–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.04.022
Digital phenotyping is a method of using mobile technology to collect data from everyday life and can be used as an objective and ecologically valid symptom assessment for schizophrenia. Researchers evaluated levels of adherence, feasibility, and tolerability for active and passive digital phenotyping methods using smartphones and smart band devices. The study included 54 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 55 demographically matched healthy controls. The participants completed six days of digital phenotyping. Active digital phenotyping included intentional task completion such as signal and event ecological momentary assessments and passive digital phenotyping was collected without participants’ direct input such as geolocation, accelerometry, and ambulatory psychophysiology. The study found that adherence in active digital phenotyping was significantly lower among patients with schizophrenia compared to controls. However, there was no significant different for passive phenotyping. The study’s results also found higher psychosocial functioning predicts greater active recordings adherence. Higher education level, lower positive symptoms, lower negative symptoms, and higher psychosocial functioning were predictors of higher passive recordings adherence. Both groups found digital phenotyping tolerable and feasible.