ReApp – an mHealth app increasing reappraisal: results from two randomized controlled trials

Introduction: Reappraisal is one of the highly modifiable resilience factors and an important emotion regulation strategy. Reappraisal training can be delivered via mobile apps; however, such apps have typically combined reappraisal with other techniques. To address this gap, we developed ReApp, which engages users solely in reappraisal. Methods: For two trials, we invited 40 and 95 young adults with low levels of reappraisal skills. Participants were randomized into either control (CG) or intervention group (IG). The CG had access only to the Ecological Momentary Assessment component of the app, while the IG could also access the reappraisal training. We analyzed the self-report data using linear mixed models.Results: In both trials, adherence was high. Trial 1 revealed that only participants with very low reappraisal skills at baseline benefited from ReApp. This outcome was replicated in Trial 2 but there were no significant differences between the groups in the follow-up in mental health symptoms severity.Discussion: High adherence suggests that participants found it easy to integrate ReApp into their daily routines. Furthermore, ReApp successfully increased reappraisal in individuals with low level of reappraisal skills. Future studies will focus on assessing the efficacy of EMI-delivered reappraisal training on healthy and clinical populations.