Compliance with ecological momentary assessment protocols in substance users: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) offers significant benefits for research.
• However, poor compliance with EMA protocols is a key limitation, especially in substance-using populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the pooled compliance rate of EMA studies involving substance users.
• To investigate if assessment frequency, duration, or device type influences compliance.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analysis and meta-regression were conducted on 126 studies (19,431 participants) from 1998-2017.
• Data included compliance rates, prompt frequency, assessment length, substance type, and device used.

Main Results:

• The overall pooled compliance rate was 75.06%.
• Compliance was not significantly associated with prompt frequency, assessment length, substance type, or device.
• Dependent substance samples exhibited lower compliance (69.80%) than non-dependent samples (76.02%).

Conclusions:

• The pooled EMA compliance rate in substance users is below the recommended 80%.
• Assessment frequency and duration do not appear to be significant factors influencing compliance.
• Further research may be needed to identify strategies to improve EMA adherence in this population.