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BACKGROUND A large variety of smartphone-based interventions (SBIs) have emerged recently that aim to contribute to mental healthcare. SBIs that integrate a training of cognitive reappraisal (CR) may be particularly effective. Little is known whether CR as an evidence-based mechanism for mental health promotion is included in SBIs. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the integration of CR training in recent SBIs for clinical and non-clinical adult populations and meta-analyze their effect on prevalent mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and well-being). METHODS A comprehensive literature search in four databases revealed 1,836 unique records, which were screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers. 15 randomized controlled or controlled trials (N = 1406) including an adult sample that received an SBI with CR training and a comparison condition were identified. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) between SBIs and control conditions. Subgroup analyses were conducted for sample population (clinical vs. non-clinical) and degree of human support (SBIs with human support vs. SBIs without human support). RESULTS Most of the studies assessed a clinical population, had depression as primary outcome, and were performed without human face-to-face support for the participants. The CR training of all SBIs involved active engagement of the users that was realized with a wide range of multimedia material. We found evidence for a small effect (SMD = –0.21, 95% CI –0.40 to –0.02; P = .04) on mental health (i.e., the reduction of symptoms of mental disorders) in favor of the SBIs including CR, with moderate to substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 60%; Chi2(df) = 35.32 (14); P = .001). The overall quality of the studies was relatively low. Subgroup analyses revealed evidence for larger effect sizes of studies with clinical compared to non-clinical populations. There was no evidence for a subgroup difference between interventions with vs. without human support. CONCLUSIONS CR can successfully be implemented in SBIs and reduce mental health symptoms.

Many existing scales for microstressor assessment do not differentiate between objective (ie, observable) stressor events and stressful cognitions or concerns. They often mix items assessing objective stressor events with items measuring other aspects of stress, such as perceived stressor severity, the evoked stress reaction, or further consequences on health, which may result in spurious associations in studies that include other questionnaires that measure such constructs. Most scales were developed several decades ago; therefore, modern life stressors may not be represented. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) allows for sampling of current behaviors and experiences in real time and in the natural habitat, thereby maximizing the generalization of the findings to real-life situations (ie, ecological validity) and minimizing recall bias. However, it has not been used for the validation of microstressor questionnaires so far.The aim is to develop a questionnaire that (1) allows for retrospective assessment of microstressors over one week, (2) focuses on objective (ie, observable) microstressors, (3) includes stressors of modern life, and (4) separates stressor occurrence from perceived stressor severity.Cross-sectional (N=108) and longitudinal studies (N=10 and N=70) were conducted to evaluate the Mainz Inventory of Microstressors (MIMIS). In the longitudinal studies, EMA was used to compare stressor data, which was collected five times per day for 7 or 30 days with retrospective reports (end-of-day, end-of-week). Pearson correlations and multilevel modeling were used in the analyses.High correlations were found between end-of-week, end-of-day, and EMA data for microstressor occurrence (counts) (r≥.69 for comparisons per week, r≥.83 for cumulated data) and for mean perceived microstressor severity (r≥.74 for comparisons per week, r≥.85 for cumulated data). The end-of-week questionnaire predicted the EMA assessments sufficiently (counts: beta=.03, 95% CI .02-.03, P.001; severity: beta=.73, 95% CI .59-.88, P.001) and the association did not change significantly over four subsequent weeks.Our results provide evidence for the ecological validity of the MIMIS questionnaire.

The occurrence of daily hassles is associated with increased subsequent levels of negative affect. Neuroticism has been found to exacerbate this effect. So far, most research used single-item measures for the assessment of daily hassles or relied on daily diary studies. This study aimed to examine the interrelations of daily hassles, negative affect reactivity, and neuroticism in daily life employing an extensive inventory of daily hassles. Seventy participants (18-30 years; M = 23.9 years, 59% female) completed a 4-week smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment study reporting the occurrence and perceived strain of daily hassles as well as negative affect at five semi-random signals between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Multilevel analyses revealed significant associations between elevated levels of negative affect and higher cumulative daily hassle strain ratings per signal in concurrent and time-lagged analyses. Contrary to our expectations, there was no moderation by neuroticism on these associations. The results suggest that daily hassles can accumulate in their impact on mood in daily life and exert a prolonged effect on negative affect. The absence of a significant moderation by neuroticism may be interpreted in the light of methodological specifics of this study.

BACKGROUND Many of the existing scales for microstressor assessment do not differentiate between objective (i. e., observable) stressor events as opposed to stressful cognitions or concerns and often mix these items with other aspects of stress, such as perceived stressor severity, the evoked stress reaction or further consequences on health. This may result in spurious associations with other questionnaires measuring such constructs. Since most scales were de-veloped several decades ago, modern life stressors may not be represented. OBJECTIVE To develop a questionnaire that a) focuses on the retrospective assessment of objective microstressors over a one-week period and b) separates stressor occurrence from perceived stressor severity. METHODS Cross-sectional (N=109) and longitudinal studies (N=10 and N=70) were conduct-ed. In the longitudinal studies, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) was used to com-pare stressor data, collected five times per day for 30 days, with retrospective reports (end-of-day, -week). Pearson correlations and multilevel-modelling were used in the analyses. RESULTS High correlations were found between the end-of-week, end-of-day and EMA data for microstressor occurrence (counts) (r ≥ .69 for comparisons per week, r ≥ .83 for cumulated data) and for mean perceived microstressor severity (r ≥ .74 for comparisons per week, r ≥ .85 for cumulated data). The end-of-week questionnaire predicted the EMA assessments suf-ficiently (counts: b= .03, 95% CI= .02 to .03, P CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence for the ecological validity of the MIMIS questionnaire. CLINICALTRIAL none