New publication advances research framework for digital health intervention

A new journal article from the Health Information Technology Studies (HITS) team, led by “Estelle” Ranran Mi, was published in Health Communication. The paper, “Intraindividual, Dyadic, and Network Communication in a Digital Health Intervention: Distinguishing Message Exposure from Message Production,” revealed nuanced intervention effects of a smartphone-based application for addiction recovery by examining message exposure and production at different levels of communication.

HITS researchers specifically investigated intraindividual (e.g., journal entries to oneself), dyadic (e.g., private messaging to other individuals), and network (e.g., discussion forum posts to all group members) levels, and found (1) intraindividual exposure to one’s own past posts marginally predicts decreased drug use; (2) dyadic production predicts greater perceived bonding; while dyadic exposure marginally predicts reduced drug use; and (3) network production predicts decreased risky drinking.

Full citation: Mi, R. Z., Kornfield, R., Shah, D. V., Maus, A., Gustafson, D. (2020). Intraindividual, Dyadic and Network Communication in a Digital Health Intervention: Distinguishing Message Exposure from Message Production. Health Communication.

Access the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2020.1846273