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Efficacy of the mHealth App Intellect in Improving Subclinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in University Students:
Madeline Lee Yoon Li1, Stephanie Lee Si Min1, Oliver Sündermann1
1National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Background:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the third most prevalent mental health disorder in Singapore, with a high degree of burden and large treatment gaps. Self-guided programs on mobile apps are accessible and affordable interventions, with the potential to address subclinical OCD before symptoms escalate.
Objective:
This randomized controlled trial aimed to examine the efficacy of a self-guided OCD program on the mobile health (mHealth) app Intellect in improving subclinical OCD and maladaptive perfectionism (MP) as a potential moderator of this predicted relationship.
Methods:
University students (N=225) were randomly assigned to an 8-day, self-guided app program on OCD (intervention group) or cooperation (active control). Self-reported measures were obtained at baseline, after the program, and at a 4-week follow-up. The primary outcome measure was OCD symptom severity (Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised [OCI-R]). Baseline MP was assessed as a potential moderator. Depression, anxiety, and stress (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21) were controlled for during statistical analyses.
Results:
The final sample included 192 participants. The intervention group reported significantly lower OCI-R scores compared with the active control group after the intervention (partial eta-squared [ηp2]=0.031; P=.02) and at 4-week follow-up (ηp2=0.021; P=.044). A significant, weak positive correlation was found between MP and OCI-R levels at baseline (r=0.28; P<.001). MP was not found to moderate the relationship between condition and OCI-R scores at postintervention (P=.70) and at 4-week follow-up (P=.88).
Conclusions:
This study provides evidence that the self-guided OCD program on the Intellect app is effective in reducing subclinical OCD among university students in Singapore. Future studies should include longer follow-up durations and study MP as a moderator in a broader spectrum of OCD symptom severity.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06202677; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06202677.
