This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Kenneth Ruggiero about a free app, developed by researchers in SC, to help manage anxiety after a disaster. Dr. Ruggiero led the team that developed the Bounce Back Now app. He is the SmartState Chair of the Technology Application Center at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. After a natural or man-made disaster, it's estimated that 5 to 10% of people impacted will develop significant anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. Doctor Kenneth Ruggiero is here to talk about a free, post-disaster mental health app developed in South Carolina to help disaster victims. Doctor Ruggiero is a Professor in the College of Nursing and SmartState Chair of the Technology Applications Center at MUSC. Doctor Ruggiero, you've been involved in research related to mental health impacts of natural or man-made disasters for years, tell us more about mental health issues that develop after a disaster.
Dr. Ruggiero: We've actually done a number of epidemiologic studies after disaster, and have found that between 5 and 10% of adults after a disaster tend to experience significant levels of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and there's also a percentage of the population that experiences an increase in substance use related problems, like alcohol use and drug use, and even smoking.
Conner: Tell us about the Bounce Back Now app developed at MUSC to help people with these post-disaster mental health issues.
Dr. Ruggiero: This resource has actually been something we've been working on for many years. In fact, the first version of it was available online in text only format after the September 11th terrorist attacks, but it has evolved in many iterations over the years, and now it exists as an app for adults affected by disaster. It helps them to check in with their emotional state on a regular basis. It gives them some basic coping tools to help them in the moment with their distress, and it also has some more intensive activities to help them reduce depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms over time.
Conner: And I understand there are some parenting tips to help children with issues after a disaster.
Dr. Ruggiero: Yes, those are pretty brief and it just helps them to do things like check in more often with their child, maintain routines, and do things like limit exposure to news coverage.
Conner: What are some of the research conclusions about how this app has helped the research participants after disaster?
Dr. Ruggiero: We actually completed a study of over 1300 adults affected by five major hurricanes that made landfall and found that compared to an information only app, we saw greater reduction in anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems over a period of time, especially a three-month period. But also even looking beyond that.
Conner: And where is your research headed next? Related to this Bounce Back Now app.
Dr. Ruggiero: Right now we're working on two major things. One, adapting this for teenagers after disaster. And number two, we want to start embedding solutions like this into trauma center settings and other settings in which there are trauma affected adults and kids to try to give them self-help resources in addition to the other healthcare resources they might be receiving in those settings.
Conner: Where can individuals find the free Bounce Back Now app?
Dr. Ruggiero: All they would need to do is to go to bouncebacknow.org . And there they will find both English and Spanish versions of the app that they could download from any of the respective app stores.
Conner: Doctor Ruggiero, thanks for this information about the Bounce Back Now app for mental health.
Dr. Ruggiero: My pleasure.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
