Developing a transdiagnostic Ecological Momentary Assessment protocol for psychopathology

Alberto Jover Martinez*, Lotte H. J. M. Lemmens, Eiko I. Fried, Anne Roefs

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

ObjectivesThe network approach to psychopathology posits that mental disorders emerge from dynamic interactions among psychopathology-relevant variables. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is frequently used to assess these variables in daily life. Considering the transdiagnostic nature of the network approach to psychopathology, this study describes the development of a transdiagnostic EMA protocol for psychopathology.MethodsFirst, 96 clinicians completed an online survey, providing three EMA constructs for up to three disorders they specialize in, and three EMA constructs relevant across disorders (transdiagnostic constructs). Second, 12 focus groups were conducted with clinical experts for specific types of diagnoses (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders). Finally, a selection of items was reached by consensus. Two raters independently coded the online survey responses with an inter-rater agreement of 87.3%.ResultsJaccard indices showed up to 52.6% overlap in EMA items across types of diagnoses. The most frequently reported transdiagnostic constructs were mood, sleep quality, and stress. A final set of EMA items is created based on items' frequency and informativeness, ensuring completeness across diagnoses and minimizing burden.ConclusionsThe described procedure resulted in a feasible EMA protocol to examine psychopathology transdiagnostically. Feasibility was helped by the overlap in mentioned symptoms across disorders. Such overlap raises questions about the validity of DSM categories.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2028
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
Volume33
Issue number3
Early online date19 Jul 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
  • measurement
  • network approach
  • psychopathology
  • transdiagnostic
  • MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
  • DOMAIN CRITERIA RDOC
  • COMORBID DEPRESSION
  • MENTAL-DISORDERS
  • FOCUS GROUPS
  • NETWORK
  • SYMPTOMS
  • CLASSIFICATION
  • ASSOCIATION
  • ANXIETY

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