Posts | T.E.

New paper in JMIR Mental Health on Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs)

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What is the paper about?

When is the right moment to deliver digital mental health support?

📱 We developed and piloted a Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) designed to help people with depressive symptoms activate their social support networks in daily life.

The study compared two triggering approaches:

Emotion dynamics (e.g., increases in distress)
Self-reported support need

Findings show that interventions triggered by support need were rated as more helpful and timely than those triggered by distress dynamics.

In the paper, we also report on:

High feasibility: 85% survey compliance, low attrition, minimal tech issues
Barriers like time constraints and unavailable support providers remain important challenges

This pilot highlights the importance of aligning JITAI timing with participant-expressed needs, contributing to ongoing discussions about “what is just-in-time?” in JITAIs and Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMIs).

👉 Read the paper here

New papers out in Emotion and Communication Research

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What are the papers about?

How does everyday smartphone use affect young adults’ momentary well-being, and how do digital interactions compare to face-to-face ones in their effects on momentary well-being? Two new papers explore these questions with experience sampling data:

In the Emotion paper, we investigate bidirectional associations between smartphone use and momentary well-being (affect, loneliness) by combining passive smartphone log data with experience sampling. Across three samples, associations were generally weak, but social media use was significantly – but weakly – associated to subsequent increases in loneliness. This pattern, however, was particularly strong among individuals with higher baseline loneliness, suggesting a heightened social media sensitivity. Read the paper here.
In the paper published in Communication Research, we examine day-to-day social interactions online and offline using ecological momentary assessments. Results indicate that interaction quality, rather than the interaction mode itself (online vs offline), is consistently associated with higher momentary well-being. The study highlights the value of intensive longitudinal designs for advancing our understanding of how everyday social experiences shape well-being. Read the paper here.

Together, these studies advance our understanding of how digital technologies shape social and mental well-being in everyday life.

Thanks to Aurelio, Marie, Anna and Jeff for the nice collaboration!

Two new papers out!

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What is the paper about? (no, this is not just the abstract)

This study, based on the iSHAIB dataset (N = 133), investigates the connection between daily social interactions and changes in depressive symptoms using event-contingent experience sampling over three 21-day periods. While there are weak between-person effects for the quantity and perceived warmth of interactions, a significant and robust finding is the impact of overwarming—a novel construct reflecting the self-perceived difference in interpersonal warmth between oneself and interaction partners. The research underscores the crucial role that qualitative aspects of social interactions may have in influencing the progression of depressive symptoms.

Elmer, T., Ram, N., Gloster, A. T., & Bringmann, L. F. (2023). Studying Daily Social Interaction Quantity and Quality in Relation to Depression Change: A Multi-Phase Experience Sampling Study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 0(0). doi

Paper in EPJ Data Science

What is the paper about?

This paper delves into the maturation process of Computational Social Science (CSS), drawing an analogy to the exploratory phase of puberty in individuals. It emphasizes the necessity for CSS to harmonize its practices with those of neighboring disciplines, advocating for scientific rigor and a nuanced identity. Critically, the paper addresses reluctance in CSS to adopt robust scientific practices, particularly seen in an overreliance on passively collected data without validating its accuracy. The argument posits that CSS should blend passive and active measurement practices to leverage their respective strengths. Furthermore, the paper suggests integrating insights from established disciplines, proposing ten recommendations for CSS to evolve as a mature interdisciplinary field.

Elmer, T. Computational social science is growing up: why puberty consists of embracing measurement validation, theory development, and open science practices. EPJ Data Science. 12, 58 (2023). doi

New paper in Psychological Methods

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

What is the paper about?

The study of behavior in daily life settings is facilitated by ambulatory assessment methods, which allow collecting data as people go about their daily life. Such intensive longitudinal data contain information about the time of a particular event, for example, when a social interaction with a friend took place. The timing and type (interaction with, e.g., friend, family, and partner) of these events can be analyzed with survival models, which were originally developed for biomedical applications. Within the psychological literature, survival models are underrepresented. For this reason, we provide an in-depth tutorial and example application on survival models for repeated, multicategory event data.

Elmer, T., van Duijn, M. A. J., Ram, N., & Bringmann, L. F. (2023). Modeling categorical time-to-event data: The example of social interaction dynamics captured with event-contingent experience sampling methods. Psychological Methods. Advance online publication. doi

Grant accepted 🥳

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Swiss National Science Foundation approved my Ambizione grant entitled Social support in times of need: Design and evaluation of a social support Ecological Momentary Intervention.

I will be joining the Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich to working together with Prof. Dr. Urte Scholz and her team.

What is the project about?

The waiting time for outpatient psychotherpeutic treatment in most western countires is higher than 6 weeks. The project adresses an increasing need for remote psychological tools to support individuals during these times of despair. For this, reserachers have been making use of the smartphone as an intervention tool in daily life setting. So far, however, interventions have not made use of the most obvious use of the smartphone: to connect to others. Having access to a social support network, is key to preventing and treating depressive symptoms. This project aims to design and implement a social support EMI delivered through the smartphone. In the proposed social support EMI, support-seeking within one’s social support network is suggested at crucial time points in people’s daily lives. The goal of the proposed research is thus to (a) to investigate contextual features (the when, the who, the how) in daily life under which social support is helpful and (b) evaluate whether social support EMIs help individuals to activate their social support networks and to reduce mental health issues, such as depressive symptoms.

If shown to be effective, this remote personalized intervention tool, could help people feel less lonely, more connected to others, thereby helping them to cope with depressive symptoms.

Posts | T.E.

New paper in JMIR Mental Health on Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs)

What is the paper about?

New papers out in Emotion and Communication Research

What are the papers about?

Two new papers out!

Paper in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

What is the paper about? (no, this is not just the abstract)

Paper in EPJ Data Science

What is the paper about?

New paper in Psychological Methods

What is the paper about?

Grant accepted 🥳

What is the project about?