Feasibility and accuracy of the ASERT digital questionnaire in mood tracking for a longitudinal research study on bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND

It is challenging for bipolar disorder (BD) studies to capture multiple mood states within a participant at in-person visits. Mood tracking could aid scheduling, but evaluation is usually done using clinical assessments inconvenient for participants to undergo often. However, frequent assessments are necessary to capture dynamic mood changes typical of BD. The Aktibipo Self-Rating Questionnaire (ASERT) is a simple, self-report mood survey. We examined the utility of collecting the ASERT weekly to assess mood changes and schedule follow-up visits.

METHODS

Sixty-one participants with BD completed the ASERT and were administered the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) during a baseline visit. Participants were then sent weekly text messages with an ASERT survey link. If participants exhibited at least a 5-point (later 8-point) change from baseline on either the mania or depression subscale, they were called and administered the MADRS or YMRS. A 10-point change on either phone-delivered clinical scale prompted a follow-up visit. Associations between ASERT subscales and clinical scales were evaluated using Spearman's correlation and robust regression.

RESULTS

Mean completion rate was 94.8 % and median completion time was 67 s. The ASERT depression and mania subscales correlated with the MADRS and YMRS at baseline and all follow-up time points. Our screening method aided scheduling, with 15 of 19 participants exhibiting a 10-point change or greater on the MADRS and/or YMRS at Visit 2.

CONCLUSIONS

The ASERT can be feasibly deployed to track mood and can help schedule follow-up assessments in BD longitudinal studies.