Website of the ehealth4mdd Database

Database content

Systems cluster

• System: provides information on the system including the name of the system and who created the system where.

  • SystemKey: unique identifier for each system
  • SystemName: name given to system by authors or [name of first author] + [Unnamed]
  • SystemCreators: company name or [name of first author] + [city of affiliation of first author]
• Version: systems can have multiple versions as they evolve, get tailored to a new target group, or different research teams work on them. This table provides detailed information on the versions of systems, when they were made, who made them, which evidence-based therapeutic intervention class they are based on, what main technologies they employ, whether they target a comorbidity as well, whether they integrate human support, how many intervention modules they have (as stated by the authors), what their intended duration is, and what their purpose is.

  • SystemKey: links version to systems
  • VersionKey: unique identifier for each version
  • Name: name given to a version by authors or [name of first author] + [Unnamed]
  • BuildYear: the year when a version was presumably built (usually the year the first RCT that can be found on system was started or the year of the earliest publication on the system, including study protocols, if no clear information could be found, the submission date of the earliest publication on this version was used.)
  • Provider: if a company developed the version, the name of the company is given here, otherwise the first author and affiliation of first author on the publication describing this version.
  • TherapyType: the therapy intervention class underlying intervention modules as stated by the authors in the publication.

    • SCT=Social Cognitive Theory
    • MI=Motivational Interviewing
    • MCT=Metacognitive Therapy
    • PP=Positive Psychology
    • MFN=Mindfulness
    • IPT=Interpersonal Therapy
    • BA=Behavioral Activation
    • ACT=Acceptance and Commitment
    • SR=Stress Reduction/Management
    • PD=Psychodynamic
    • CR=Cognitive Remediation
    • PhE=Physical Exercise
    • ET=Exposure Therapy
    • SM=Symptom Monitoring
    • TD=Transdiagnostic
    • EW=Expressive Writing
    • LR=Life Review
    • CBM=Cognitive Bias Modification
    • PE=Psychoeducation
    • CCT=Cognitive Control Training
    • HT=Horticulture Therapy
  • Technology: Which technology does the version predominantly employ (a more detailed listing can be found in the VersionFunctions table, where the technology is indicated for each function).

    • 1=telephone
    • 2=text message
    • 3=mobile (cross-platform websites that can be accessed from mobile devices
    • 4=app
    • 5=CD
    • 6=DVD
    • 7=Computer (software that is installed on the computer rather than running online)
    • 8=website
    • 9=email
    • 10=augmented reality
    • 11=virtual reality
    • 12=virtual character/embodied conversational agent
    • 13=multimedia
    • 14=sensors
    • 15=social media
  • Comorbidity: What kind of comorbidity does the version target if any.

    • 0=none
    • 1=addiction
    • 2=physical illness (e.g. cancer, diabetes)
    • 3=anxiety
    • 4=insomnia
    • 5=non-specific
  • SupportType: What kind of human support is integrated into the version if any.

    • 0=none
    • 1=lay-person
    • 2=administrative
    • 3=professional (other than therapist, e.g. nurse, coach)
    • 4=therapist
    • 5=blended/adjunct (versions that are intended as an adjunct to face-to-face therapy; for the purposes of this categorization, categories 5 and 4 are disjunct)
  • InterventionModules: number of intervention modules that a version has (as indicated by the authors).
  • Duration: the intended usage duration of the version in weeks, i.e. how many weeks should users be busy with the version
  • Purpose: the goal of the version in terms of depression related outcomes.

    • 0=prevent depression
    • 1=treat depression
    • 2=provide post-treatment support
• Function: the functions that a version can possibly have (in total 184 possible functions), these are subdivided into intervention functions and support functions, whereby support functions are again subdivided into planning, execution, monitoring, and social (see description above).

  • FunctionKey: unique identifier for each function
  • Functionality: a brief description of the functionality that a function provides
  • Therapy: this is only relevant for intervention functions which can be linked to a specific therapeutic intervention class. Codes were assigned in collaboration with a final year clinical psychology Master student from the VU Amsterdam.

    • 1=cognitive behavioral therapy
    • 2=cognitive therapy
    • 3=behavioral activation
    • 4=motivational interviewing
    • 5=cognitive bias modification
    • 6=problem solving
    • 7=acceptance and commitment therapy
    • 9=psychoeducation
    • 10=positive psychology
    • 11=mindfulness
    • 12=physical activity
    • 13=interpersonal therapy
    • 14=psychodynamic psychotherapy
    • 15=emotional freedom technique
    • 16=life review
    • 17=expressive writing
    • 19=integrative/multiple (in case an intervention component could not be linked clearly to a framework)
    • 20=schema therapy
    • 21=meta-cognitive
    • 22=social cognitive theory
    • 23=cognitive control training
    • 24=hypnosis
  • FunctionType: functions are classified into two categories (intervention and support functions). Support functions again can be of four different types, yielding in total five function subtypes codes.

    • INT=intervention
    • SUPP=Support
  • FunctionSubType: functions are classified into two categories (intervention and support functions). Support functions again can be of four different types, yielding in total five function subtypes codes.

    • INT=intervention
    • PLAN=planning support
    • EXEC=execution support
    • MONITOR=monitoring support
    • SOC=social support
  • FunctionSubSubType: intervention subtypes have associated therapies and those are again categorized into higher level therapies. Similarly, the low-level support functions are again categorized into support function subsubtypes.

    • BEH=(intervention) Behavioral Therapy
    • CBT=(intervention) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    • COG=(intervention) Cognitive Therapy
    • INDEP=(intervention) Techniques independent of a specific therapeutic intervention class
    • IP=(intervention) Interpersonal Therapy
    • OTH=(intervention) Other, i.e. do not fit anywhere
    • PA=(intervention) Psychodynamic Therapy
    • PP=(intervention) Positivie Psychology
    • Customization= (execution) User preferences (intervention/system)
    • Management= (execution) Tunneling, Intervention reasoning, Risk management, Troubleshooting
    • Organization= (execution) Scheduling, Goal setting, Self-screening
    • Social Role= (execution) Rewarding, Encouraging, Empathy, Similarity, Authority, Consideration
    • Trigger= (execution) Signal, Spark, Facilitator
    • Customization= (planning) User preferences concerning intervention or system set before the start of the intervention
    • Organization= (planning) Goal setting, Tutorial
    • Activity= (monitoring) Automatic/Manual activity monitoring
    • Context= (monitoring) Automatic/Manual context monitoring
    • Progress= (monitoring) Automatic/Manual progress monitoring
    • Symptoms= (monitoring) Automatic/Manual symptom monitoring
    • Direct - NonProf= (social) Peer support, Administrative support, Lay-person support
    • Direct - Prof= (social) Nurse support, Professional support, Therapist support
    • Indirect= (social) Social learning/comparison/facilitation, Recognition, Cooperation
• VersionFunction: lists all the functions that a specific version has, i.e. function instantiations. The table links versions and functions, hence VersionKey and FunctionKey together are the primary keys of this table.

  • VersionKey: links versions to functions.
  • FunctionKey: identifies the function.
  • Format: the technological means used for the delivery of the specific function. Similar to the Technology attribute in the Version table, but then at the level of the specific function.

    • 1=telephone
    • 2=text message
    • 3=mobile (cross-platform websites that can be accessed from mobile devices
    • 4=app
    • 5=CD
    • 6=DVD
    • 7=Computer (software that is installed on the computer rather than running online)
    • 8=website
    • 9=email
    • 10=augmented reality
    • 11=virtual reality
    • 12=virtual character/embodied conversational agent
    • 13=multimedia
    • 14=sensors
    • 15=social media
    • 16=not specified
    • 17=face-to-face
    • 18=monetary
    • 19=postal
    • 20=paper/offline
    • 21=interactive voice response
  • Description: text copied from publication describing the specific function instantiation. This can contain some additional information and it is therefore important to look at this in combination with the Functionality and FunctionType of the component.
  • eHDTS: e-mental health degree of technological sophistication rating assigned to each instantiation according to the FunctionType-specific scale. The five scales with the concrete level definitions and an example function instantiation for each level can be found in the "eHDTS" tab.

    • 0=function is part of system but not integrated, e.g. delivered by a human
    • 1=function is integrated in a purely informative manner, the system provides information but does not allow for interactivity with the user
    • 2=the function is provided with basic interactivity, but the system does not process the information provided by the user
    • 3=the function is provided interactively, the system processes meta-data (e.g. interaction duration, number of clicks)
    • 4=the function is provided interactively, the system processes content of user input
  • eHDTSReasoning: in cases when the description may not provide sufficient information to justify the assignment of a specific degree of technological sophistication, this attribute is used to provide additional information also taken from the publication.

Evaluations cluster

• Evaluation: specifies details about the studies and trials in which a version was used.

  • EvaluationKey: unique identifier of the evaluation.
  • Quality: a measure of the quality of the evaluation.

    • 0=not controlled and not randomized (single group or multiple groups)
    • 1=not controlled but randomized
    • 2=controlled but not randomized (quasi-experimental)
    • 3=randomized controlled
  • Recruitment: information copied from the publication describing how participants were recruited for the evaluation.
  • Details: more specific information about the intervention, i.e. specific types of control groups being used or whether the trial was comparative (i.e. comparing the same system but different versions or different systems to each other)
  • MeasurementTPs: what were the measurement time points of the evaluation?

    • 0=pre-post
    • 1=pre-post-followup
    • 2=post only
    • 3=other
  • Control: specifies the types of control groups used.

    • 0=no control
    • 1=waitlist
    • 2=TAU/other known to be effective treatment
    • 3=placebo/attention control
  • Participants: were participants recruited from a population with specific characteristics? Semicolon means OR, comma means AND (e.g. the line "(1;6),21" decodes to: employees with clinical or subclinical depression). This is a very specific category, intended to facilitate the search for evaluations with very specific type of population.

    • 1=clinically depressed
    • 2=veterans/military
    • 3=elderly
    • 4=youth (often high-school or undergraduate students)
    • 5=comorbid
    • 6=subclinically depressed
    • 7=recruited from group therapy
    • 8=only of a specific gender
    • 9=suicidal
    • 10=teachers
    • 11=in palliative care
    • 12=bereaved
    • 13=caregivers
    • 14=anxious
    • 15=experts
    • 16=socially phobic
    • 17=with panic disorders
    • 18=having a specific cultural background
    • 19=remitted depression
    • 20=anyone
    • 21=employees
    • 22=healthy
    • 23=physical illness
    • 24=family history of depression
    • 25=insomnia
    • 26=addiction
    • 27=treated medically for depression
    • 28=emotional disorder
    • 29=burnout
  • Result: simplified coding of the outcome of the evaluation.

    • 0=no effect (including no time effect)
    • 1=intervention*time effect (desirable outcome in RCT with non-effective control group)
    • 3=time effect (desirable in case of non-controlled trials or if control group receives effective treatment)
    • 4=usability effect (outcome indicating user satisfaction with intervention)
    • 5=other
  • ResultDescription: in words a very brief summary of the result.
• Arm: details concerning each study arm of an evaluation.

  • EvaluationKey: links arms/conditions to the evaluation.
  • ArmKey: unique identifier for the arm of each evaluation.
  • ArmType: which kind of control condition was used if any?

    • 0=control arm
    • {1...n}=VersionKey of version used in intervention arm
  • ArmSpec: specifies the type of intervention arm or control arm.

    • 1=intervention: only intervention
    • 2=intervention: intervention combined with TAU
    • 3=control: waitlist
    • 4=control: TAU/other known to be effective treatment
    • 5=control: placebo/attention control
    • 6=control: placebo + TAU
    • 7=control: other possibly effective activity (discussion forum, support group, etc.) or effective treatment for another condition (e.g. TAU for cancer, diabetes, insomnia)
    • 8=control: same treatment as intervention group but different format
  • Description: textual brief description of the arm.
  • N-pre: number of participants in this arm pre intervention.
  • N-post: number of participants in this arm post-intervention (i.e. at the post-measurement time point. We did not record the number of participants at follow-up timepoints).
  • UserType: specifies the type of patient group used. We regard here users of the systems also as patients. In cases when the study was conducted on healthy individuals (preventive systems), control group users not exposed to an intervention (placebo, waitlist) are indicated as no patients.

    • 0=outpatients (individuals not in stationary treatment)
    • 1=inpatients (individuals in stationary treatment)
    • 2=mixed (outpatients or inpatients)
    • 3=no patients (control group participants in studies using a healthy population)
    • 4=unknown (control group participants of studies in which no restrictions were placed on recruited population, e.g. any unemployed male was recruited, i.e. they could also be inpatients or outpatients.)
  • UserPop: in case a sample was recruited from a very specific group of people (e.g. undergraduate students, Arabs, elderly), this is stated here in text. It can provide additional information to the Participants attribute in the Evaluation table.
• Measure: list of possible outcome measures.

  • MeasureKey: unique identifier for the outcome measure.
  • MeasureName: name of the outcome measure (e.g. BDI for Beck Depression Inventory).
• EvaluationMeasure: links the evaluation to an outcome measure.

  • EvaluationKey: unique identifier for the outcome measure.
  • MeasureKey: links the evaluation key to the outcome measure.
  • TimePoint: time point of the post measurement (followup time points are not coded, as they are reported with regard to different reference points in the literature, e.g. sometimes they will be reported as 3-month follow-up meaning 3 months after the post measurement and other times 3 months after baseline. Since this could not be clearly identified in all publications, we refrain from including the data in this database.)
  • Outcome: whether outcome measure was a primary or a secondary outcome of the evaluation.
  • InfoAt: where in the publication (see EvaluationPaper table) the results can be found, to facilitate searching for information to calculate effect sizes in the publications.

Publications cluster

• Paper: details on the publications describing systems or evaluations. This table also contains those publications excluded at the full-paper stage as some of them are study protocols for the primary research and can hence provide additional information. Furthermore, for excluded papers, a reason for exclusion is provided.

  • PaperKey: unique identifier for the publication.
  • Year: the year in which the paper was published.
  • Title: the title of the publication.
  • Journal: the name of the journal in which the paper was published.
  • Abstract: the full abstract of the paper.
  • Keywords: keywords assigned by authors and publishers to the publication.
  • Database: which database the record was retrieved from.

    • 1=PubMed
    • 2=Scopus
    • 3=Web of Knowledge/Science
    • 4=Additional sources (other syntheses, other articles, personal reference)
  • Exclude: whether the paper was excluded at the full-paper stage (1 if yes, NULL otherwise).
  • Comments: reason for exclusion. This column also links papers to each other, e.g. if a paper is a study protocol for another paper, this is typically stated as "study protocol for [PaperKey]". If one wants to find all papers related to a specific paper, it is therefore advisable to search this column for the PaperKey of interest.
• Author: identifies all authors of publications.

  • AuthorKey: unique identifier for the author.
  • LastName: full last name of the author.
  • Initials: initials of author first and middle names.
  • Contact: contact e-mail address provided in the publication of which this author is the corresponding author and that was included in the database (i.e. not excluded at the full-paper stage).
  • PaperKey_Corresponding: the PaperKey(s) of the publication(s) for which this author is the corresponding author. This was only noted for papers included in the database (i.e. not excluded at the full-paper stage). Multiple keys are separated by commas.
• PaperAuthor: links authors to their publications.

  • PaperKey: unique identifier for the paper.
  • AuthorKey: links the specific author from the Author table to a specific publication from the Paper table.

Linking tables

• VersionEvaluation: links versions to the studies in which they were evaluated.

  • VersionKey: unique identifier for the version.
  • EvaluationKey: links the version to the study in which it was evaluated.
  • ConditionKey: identifies the arm of the study in which the particular version was evaluated.
• VersionPaper: links versions to the publications in which they are described. It must be noted here that some of the function instantiation descriptions are not directly from these publications but from the study protocols or from the publications of other versions of the same system. For function instantiation descriptions, we looked for the publication with the most detail provided in describing the functionality of a version.

  • VersionKey: unique identifier for the version.
  • PaperKey: links the version to the publication in which it is described.
• EvaluationPaper: links evaluations to the publications in which they are described.

  • EvaluationKey: unique identifier for the evaluation.
  • PaperKey: links the evaluation to the publication in which it is described.