Differential associations of passively sensed behaviors with in-vivo depression symptoms

Research suggests that passively sensed behaviors can serve as indicators for depression in aggregate-however, depression is a multifaceted construct, individual facets of which may differentially relate to sensed features. We examined relationships of in-vivo individual depression facets (affect, stress, fatigue, and distractibility) with passively sensed location, communication, and phone-use data. Participants (N = 734, 73.57% female, Mage = 41.6) with moderate depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-8; M = 13.2) responded to ecological momentary assessments of affect, stress, fatigue, and distractibility 3×/day every 3 weeks for 16 weeks; passive data were continuously collected. Using multilevel modeling, we tested within- and between-person associations of depression-related ecological momentary assessments with passive features. When people spent more time in frequently visited locations relative to their own average, they reported more positive affect (β = .03, p = .043). Relatedly, increased within-person circadian movement was associated with less stress (β = .032, p = .035). When people communicated via call/text more relative to their own average, they reported increased negative affect (β = -.05, p = .008), stress (β = -.076, p < .001), and distractibility (β = -.048, p = .006). When people used social media more than typical for them, they reported less stress (β = .030, p = .047) and less fatigue (β = .034, p = .021). Findings highlight potential opportunities for depression symptom monitoring and treatment. The dual positive effect of novel environments and routine stability, along with nuanced findings around communication patterns, invite further investigation into factors that may elucidate how passively sensed behaviors surface in depression, in service of informing just-in-time adaptive intervention development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).