Publications

Journal Articles

1. The Type, Impacts, and Experiences of Peer Support for People Living With Bipolar Disorder: A Scoping Review

   Morton, Emma, Willis, Elsy,  Brozena, Jeff, Kcomt, Andrew, and Michalak, Erin E.

   Bipolar Disorders Feb 2025

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   Background Internationally, mental health policy has highlighted the exchange of peer support between people with lived experience as a key component of recovery-oriented care. There is some evidence to support the benefits of peer support in mixed-diagnosis groups, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. However, no reviews have specifically described the types and impacts of peer support interventions for bipolar disorder (BD). Methods and Analysis A scoping review was conducted to explore the type, outcomes, and experience of peer support interventions in BD. Databases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, using terms related to peer support and BD. Extracted data included study design, participant demographics, intervention characteristics, and qualitative or quantitative data on outcomes and experiences. Results Thirty studies met eligibility criteria and were included in the review. A diverse array of interventions incorporating peer support were evaluated, including unstructured face-to-face group programs, peer-facilitated psychoeducation, and web-based psychoeducation with accompanying peer support. Quantitative studies largely assessed clinical outcomes, with some attention to functioning and quality of life. Qualitative data included observations of interaction patterns and subjective experiences of programs. Discussion Given this heterogeneous literature, the effects of peer support in BD cannot be firmly concluded. However, qualitative research and rates of engagement with peer support programs are suggestive of subjective appeal. Priorities for future research include comparative studies to parse out the effects of different types of peer support, routine reporting of the characteristics of peer support programs, assessment of recovery-oriented outcomes, and partnership with community organizations to optimize trial designs.

2. Financial technologies (FinTech) for mental health: The potential of objective financial data to better understand the relationships between financial behavior and mental health

   Blair, Johnna,  Brozena, Jeff, Matthews, Mark, Richardson, Thomas, and Abdullah, Saeed

   Frontiers in Psychiatry Feb 2022

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   Financial stability is a key challenge for individuals with mental illnesses. Symptomatic periods often manifest in poor financial decision-making including compulsive spending and risky behaviors. This article explores research opportunities and challenges in developing financial technologies (FinTech) to support individuals with mental health. Specifically, we focus on how objective financial data might lead to novel mental health assessment and intervention methods. We have used data from one individual with bipolar disorder (BD) (i.e., an N = 1 case study) to illustrate feasibility of collecting and analyzing objective financial data alongside mental health factors. While we have not found statistically significant trends nor our findings are generalizable beyond this case, our approach provides an insight into the potential of using objective financial data to identify early warning signs and thereby, enable preemptive care for individuals with serious mental illnesses. We have also identified challenges of accessing objective financial data. The paper outlines what data is currently available, what can be done with it, and what factors to consider when working with financial data. We have also explored future directions for developing interventions to support financial well-being and stability. Furthermore, we have described the technical, ethical, and equity challenges for financial data-driven assessments and intervention methods, as well as provided a broad research agenda to address these challenges.

Conference Articles

1. Supportive Fintech for Individuals with Bipolar Disorder: Financial Data Sharing Preferences for Longitudinal Care Management

   Brozena, Jeff, Blair, Johnna, Richardson, Thomas, Matthews, Mark, Mukherjee, Dahlia, Saunders, Erika F. H., and Abdullah, Saeed

   In Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Feb 2024

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   Financial stability is a key challenge for individuals living with bipolar disorder (BD). Symptomatic periods in BD are associated with poor financial decision-making, contributing to a negative cycle of worsening symptoms and an increased risk of bankruptcy. There has been an increased focus on designing supportive financial technologies (fintech) to address varying and intermittent needs across different stages of BD. However, little is known about this population’s expectations and privacy preferences related to financial data sharing for longitudinal care management. To address this knowledge gap, we have deployed a factorial vignette survey using the Contextual Integrity framework. Our data from individuals with BD (N=480) shows that they are open to sharing financial data for long term care management. We have also identified significant differences in sharing preferences across age, gender, and diagnostic subtype. We discuss the implications of these findings in designing equitable fintech to support this marginalized community.