Developing a transdiagnostic Ecological Momentary Assessment protocol for psychopathology

International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, vol. 33, pp. e2028

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The 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. METHODS: First, 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%. RESULTS: Jaccard 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. CONCLUSIONS: The 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.

Authors 4

1. Alberto Jover Martínez corresponding

   Maastricht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Clinical Psychological Science Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands

   Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

2. Lotte H.J.M. Lemmens

   Maastricht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Clinical Psychological Science Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands

   Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

3. Eiko I. Fried Aachen Clinical Psychology Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Clinical Psychology Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands

   Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

4. Anne Roefs

   Maastricht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Clinical Psychological Science Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands

   Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands