Abstract

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting worse outcomes, including anxiety and depression. Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best. One nonpharmacological approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative power of the ocean and surfing for the military community. Although the limited research in this area has shown a positive impact on the health of veterans, these results were based on self-reported survey instruments that suffer from a series of well-known biases. Fortunately, the introduction of wearable technology that unobtrusively gather physiological data, offers an opportunity to validate traditional survey data. This study used surveys to measure changes in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), together with data generated from Whoop bands, and qualitative data, producing a more robust set of programmatic efficacy inferences for Operation Surf participants between 2021–2022. Paired samples t-tests were used to analyze the data gathered before the intervention, immediately after, and 1 month later. Survey scores before the therapy, as measured by the psychometrically sound PHQ-8 (depression), PCL-5 (PTSD), and GAD-7 (anxiety), were significantly higher than both time points after therapy, revealing statistically significant and clinically significant decreases. Physiological data indicated varying degrees of statistically significant change in HRV, RHR, and sleep, while the qualitative data supported the findings. Taken together, the introduction of physiological data gathered from wearable technology can hopefully further understanding while informing public policy care decisions.

Presenters

Jon Ossie
Student, PhD, University of San Diego, California, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2023 Special Focus: Digitizing Health and Wellbeing

KEYWORDS

Mental Health, Public Policy, Anxiety, Depression, Physiological Biomarkers, Alternative Therapy

Digital Media

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