Hopelab & Well Being Trust 46
Digital Health Use
and Depression
Digital Health Practices
Digital Health Use and Depression
One of the goals of this initial report is to explore how teens and
young adults (TYAs) with current depressive symptoms report using
digital health tools and social media, including whether they describe
different types of use than other TYAs. Accordingly, the survey employed
a widely-used eight-item validated scale for assessing the severity
of depressive symptoms, the Patient Health Questionnaire depression
scale (PHQ-8).
20
Responses were coded numerically and summed, so
that each respondent was given a total score between 0 and 24 points.
According to the scale protocol, a total score of 0 to 4 represents no
significant depressive symptoms; a score of 5 to 9 represents mild
depressive symptoms; 10 to 14, moderate; 15 to 19, moderately severe;
and 20 to 24, severe. For purposes of data analysis, respondents were
classified into three groups by level of depressive symptoms: none
(0-4), mild (5-9), and moderate to severe (10+).
21
For clarity, we focus the bulk of our discussion below on a comparison
between those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms and those
with no symptoms; data for those in the middle group ("mild" symptoms)
are also included in the tables. The results of these preliminary analyses
indicate that teens and young adults who are coping with moderate to
severe depressive symptoms are making extensive use of a wide range
of digital health resources and that they are doing so at significantly
higher rates than those their age without depressive symptoms.
20
Kroenke, K., et al, op cit.
21
For more details on the use of the Patient
Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-8)
please refer to the Methodology section.
Level of depressive symptoms
(PHQ-8 score) Percent
None (0-4)
Mild (5-9)
Moderate to severe (10+)
Moderately severe (15-19)
Moderate (10 -14)
Severe (20-24)
52%
25%
5%
23%
17%
3%
Table 5: Depressive symptoms of teens and
young adults
Proportion of 14- to 22-year-olds with each level
of depressive symptoms
Source: Hopelab/Well Being Trust Teens and Young Adults Survey,
February-March 2018. N=1,337 young people ages 14-22.
