Here we propose to test a novel intervention to help individuals manage their depressive rumination. The intervention is based on a just-in-time, adaptive-intervention (JITAI) design. A JITAI is an intervention designed to address the dynamically changing needs of individuals via the provision of the type/amount of support needed, at the right time, and only when needed . This study is also to address one major concern regarding designing JITAI interventions: the burden on participants in having to be engaged with the intervention through diaries, self-reports, and other forms of assessment procedures daily. To reduce this burden, we first pilot test an interactive narrative form. An interactive narrative is an essential form of storytelling that involves certain interactive features such that audiences or readers of the story can have the feeling that they are actively engaging in certain forms of interactions with the story characters.~To test the efficacy of such an intervention, there will be a one-month three-arm clinical control trial to reduce depressive rumination. There are three conditions: a JITAI interactive narrative condition, a non-narrative JTIAI condition, and a wait-list control condition. This study could contribute to our knowledge in designing more effective interventions in curbing depression using mobile technology. It can also advance our theoretical knowledge of the role of interactive narratives in reducing user burden in mobile health.
This clinical trial intends to study the efficacy of a mobile phone delivered intervention in reducing depression-related rumination.