Associations Between Smartphone Keystroke Metadata and Mental Health Symptoms in Adolescents: Findings From the Future Proofing Study.

adolescents anxiety depression digital phenotype keystroke dynamics keystroke metadata smartphone students

Journal

JMIR mental health
ISSN: 2368-7959
Titre abrégé: JMIR Ment Health
Pays: Canada
ID NLM: 101658926

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
15 May 2023
Historique:
received: 13 12 2022
accepted: 22 03 2023
revised: 24 02 2023
medline: 15 5 2023
pubmed: 15 5 2023
entrez: 15 5 2023
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Mental disorders are prevalent during adolescence. Among the digital phenotypes currently being developed to monitor mental health symptoms, typing behavior is one promising candidate. However, few studies have directly assessed associations between typing behavior and mental health symptom severity, and whether these relationships differs between genders. In a cross-sectional analysis of a large cohort, we tested whether various features of typing behavior derived from keystroke metadata were associated with mental health symptoms and whether these relationships differed between genders. A total of 934 adolescents from the Future Proofing study undertook 2 typing tasks on their smartphones through the Future Proofing app. Common keystroke timing and frequency features were extracted across tasks. Mental health symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent version, the Children's Anxiety Scale-Short Form, the Distress Questionnaire 5, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Bivariate correlations were used to test whether keystroke features were associated with mental health symptoms. The false discovery rates of P values were adjusted to q values. Machine learning models were trained and tested using independent samples (ie, 80% train 20% test) to identify whether keystroke features could be combined to predict mental health symptoms. Keystroke timing features showed a weak negative association with mental health symptoms across participants. When split by gender, females showed weak negative relationships between keystroke timing features and mental health symptoms, and weak positive relationships between keystroke frequency features and mental health symptoms. The opposite relationships were found for males (except for dwell). Machine learning models using keystroke features alone did not predict mental health symptoms. Increased mental health symptoms are weakly associated with faster typing, with important gender differences. Keystroke metadata should be collected longitudinally and combined with other digital phenotypes to enhance their clinical relevance. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN12619000855123; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=377664&isReview=true.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Mental disorders are prevalent during adolescence. Among the digital phenotypes currently being developed to monitor mental health symptoms, typing behavior is one promising candidate. However, few studies have directly assessed associations between typing behavior and mental health symptom severity, and whether these relationships differs between genders.
OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE
In a cross-sectional analysis of a large cohort, we tested whether various features of typing behavior derived from keystroke metadata were associated with mental health symptoms and whether these relationships differed between genders.
METHODS METHODS
A total of 934 adolescents from the Future Proofing study undertook 2 typing tasks on their smartphones through the Future Proofing app. Common keystroke timing and frequency features were extracted across tasks. Mental health symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent version, the Children's Anxiety Scale-Short Form, the Distress Questionnaire 5, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Bivariate correlations were used to test whether keystroke features were associated with mental health symptoms. The false discovery rates of P values were adjusted to q values. Machine learning models were trained and tested using independent samples (ie, 80% train 20% test) to identify whether keystroke features could be combined to predict mental health symptoms.
RESULTS RESULTS
Keystroke timing features showed a weak negative association with mental health symptoms across participants. When split by gender, females showed weak negative relationships between keystroke timing features and mental health symptoms, and weak positive relationships between keystroke frequency features and mental health symptoms. The opposite relationships were found for males (except for dwell). Machine learning models using keystroke features alone did not predict mental health symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Increased mental health symptoms are weakly associated with faster typing, with important gender differences. Keystroke metadata should be collected longitudinally and combined with other digital phenotypes to enhance their clinical relevance.
TRIAL REGISTRATION BACKGROUND
Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN12619000855123; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=377664&isReview=true.

Identifiants

pubmed: 37184904
pii: v10i1e44986
doi: 10.2196/44986
pmc: PMC10227695
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

e44986

Informations de copyright

©Taylor A Braund, Bridianne O’Dea, Debopriyo Bal, Kate Maston, Mark Larsen, Aliza Werner-Seidler, Gabriel Tillman, Helen Christensen. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (https://mental.jmir.org), 15.05.2023.

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Auteurs

Taylor A Braund (TA)

Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.
Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Bridianne O'Dea (B)

Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.
Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Debopriyo Bal (D)

Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Kate Maston (K)

Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Mark Larsen (M)

Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.
Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Aliza Werner-Seidler (A)

Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.
Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Gabriel Tillman (G)

Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University, Ballarat, Australia.

Helen Christensen (H)

Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.
Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia.

Classifications MeSH