O2175: Using a Digital Collaborative Care Model to Address Symptoms of Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Opposition in Youth: A Retrospective Study of a Digital Mental Health Care Provider

Background:

Background: Despite the high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated behavioral disorders among children and adolescents, many young people do not receive sufficient behavioral health care to produce positive change. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) may address this need by increasing access to high-quality care. Given the necessity for high levels of caregiver and primary care practitioner involvement in addressing ADHD symptoms and behavioral problems, collaborative care DMHIs that adopt a whole-family approach may be particularly well-suited to reduce symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and opposition in children and adolescents.

Methods:

Methods: Using data from children and adolescents involved in a collaborative care DMHI for treatment of ADHD and oppositional symptoms, the current study aimed to 1) determine the effects of a collaborative care DMHI on inattention, hyperactivity, and oppositional symptoms in children and adolescents, and 2) assess whether participation in a collaborative care DMHI are associated with different outcomes across ADHD subtypes and demographic factors. Caregivers of children and adolescents with elevated symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or opposition assessed their children’s symptom severity approximately every 30 days while their child/adolescent received care via a DMHI. To assess ADHD and behavioral symptom severity during their care, we analyzed monthly assessment data from 107 children and adolescents (ages 6 to 17) who exhibited elevated inattention, hyperactivity, and/or oppositional symptoms at baseline (inattention symptom group: n = 91; hyperactivity symptom group: n = 48; oppositional symptom group: n = 70).

Results:

Results: A majority of the sample exhibited elevated symptoms of at least two types at baseline (n = 67; 62.6%). Members participated in Bend Health, Inc. (the DMHI) for up to 5.52 months and attended between 0 and 20 coaching, therapy, and/or psychiatry sessions. From baseline to their last assessment, 71% showed improvements in inattention symptoms, 60% showed improvements in hyperactivity symptoms, and 60% showed improvements in oppositional symptoms. Indeed, symptom severity decreased over the course of treatment with Bend Health, Inc. for inattention (average decrease: 3.51 points; P = .001) and hyperactivity (average decrease: 3.07 points; P = .049), but not oppositional symptoms (average decrease: 0.70 points; P = .26). There was a main effect of duration of care on symptom severity (P < .001), such that each additional month of care was associated with lower symptom scores.

Conclusion:

Conclusions: This study offers promising early evidence that collaborative care DHMIs may facilitate improvements in ADHD symptoms among children and adolescents, addressing the growing need for accessible and high-quality care for behavioral health problems in the U.S. However, additional follow-up studies bolstered by larger samples and control groups are necessary to further establish the robustness of these findings.