Project ID NS-MH2026_54

ThemeNS-MH

Co Supervisor 1A Prof Ulrike Schmidt Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, School of Academic Psychiatry, Department of Psychological MedicineEmail

Co Supervisor 1B Dr Amos Folarin Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences, Department of Biostatistics & Health InformaticsEmail

Third Supervisor Professor Richard Dobson

The Impact of Digital Technology Use on Minds, Body and Social Behaviour in Young People with Eating Disorders

Scientific basis:
Eating disorders (EDs) are disabling and deadly disorders, with onset typically occurring from age 15-25, i.e. a developmentally sensitive time. Their aetiology is complex. Evidence suggests that problematic technology use is fuelling ED risk and maintenance, e.g. via widespread online promotion of content aligned with unrealistic appearance standards. Sophisticated social media algorithms deliver users increasingly more and more personalised content over time, facilitating increasingly compulsive technology use. Despite these notable putative risk and maintenance pathways, there is a dearth of large-scale longitudinal research exploring how technology use relates to ED onset and recovery. As part of a UKRI-funded programme (www.EDIFYresearch.co.uk), we have set up STORY, a novel, deeply phenotyped cohort study. STORY dynamically assesses 720 young people aged 16-25 with different EDs at different illness stages and 120 healthy controls over 12 months, using remote measurement technology (RMT) with active and passive sensing via smartphones and wearables. There is rich assessment of technology use, including: (i) 12 months continuous passive monitoring data, assessing technology use intensity, duration and sociability; (ii) multiple bursts of experience sampling indicating technology-related leisure activity (e.g., gaming) and online interactions; and (iii) self-reported mobile phone and social media use and motivations for use.

Techniques and skills the student will develop:
The student will learn about EDs, design and conduct of RMT studies, and analysis of features obtained from biosensors, smartphones, cognitive/speech tests and experience sampling methodology.

Overarching aims:
(1) To explore the interplay between different aspects of technology use, ED symptoms, comorbidities, and psychobiological markers, through secondary analysis of STORY data over 12 months.
(2) To assess longer-term clinical impacts of technology use in STORY through conducting a 24-month follow-up.

Objectives:
Year 1: The student will familiarise themselves with the project and will write a systematic review on a relevant topic. They will also collect 24-month follow-up data.
Year 2: Data acquisition for the follow-up study will continue. The student will analyse some of the cross-sectional baseline data of this cohort.
Year 3: Data analysis and write up.
Year 4: This time can be used e.g. to prepare for follow-on fellowship funding.

A potential 3-month rotation project:
Leveraging data from STORY the student will investigate the relationship between the Oura Ring’s continuous physiological stress measure (derived from heart rate, HRV, and temperature) and the severity of ED symptoms. https://ouraring.com/blog/inside-the-ring-daytime-stress/

Representative Publications

Schmidt UH, Claudino A, Fernández-Aranda F, Giel KE, Griffiths J, Hay PJ, Kim YR, Marshall J, Micali N, Monteleone AM, Nakazato M, Steinglass J, Wade TD, Wonderlich S, Zipfel S, Allen KL, Sharpe H. The current clinical approach to feeding and eating disorders aimed to increase personalization of management.World Psychiatry. 2025 Feb;24(1):4-31. doi: 10.1002/wps.21263. Kuehne C, Phillips MD, Moody S, Bryson C, Campbell IC, Conde P, Cummins N, Desrivières S, Dineley J, Dobson R, Douglas D, Folarin A, Gallop L, Hemmings A, İnce B, Mason L, Rashid Z, Bromell A, Sims C, Allen K, Bailie C, Bains P, Basher M, Battisti F, Baudinet J, Bristow K, Dawson N, Dodd L, Frater V, Freudenthal R, Gripton B, Kan C, Khor JWT, Kotze N, Laverack S, Martin L, Maxwell S, McDonald S, McKnight D, McKay R, Merrin J, Nash M, Nicholls D, Palmer S, Pearce S, Roberts C, Serpell L, Severs E, Simic M, Staton A, Westaway S, Sharpe H, Schmidt U; EDIFY consortium. Characterising illness stages and recovery trajectories of eating disorders in young people via remote measurement technology (STORY): a multi-centre prospective cohort study protocol. BMC Psychiatry. 2024 May 30;24(1):409. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-05841-w. Hemmings A, Sharpe H, Allen K, Bartel H, Campbell IC, Desrivières S, Dobson RJB, Folarin AA, French T, Kelly J, Micali N, Raman S, Treasure J, Abbas R, Heslop B, Street T, Schmidt U. EDIFY (Eating Disorders: Delineating Illness and Recovery Trajectories to Inform Personalised Prevention and Early Intervention in Young People): project outline. BJPsych Bull. 2023 Dec;47(6):328-336. doi: 10.1002/erv.3073.

Zhang Y, Folarin AA, Sun S, Cummins N, Ranjan Y, Rashid Z, Stewart C, Conde P, Sankesara H, Laiou P, Matcham F, White KM, Oetzmann C, Lamers F, Siddi S, Simblett S, Vairavan S, Myin-Germeys I, Mohr DC, Wykes T, Haro JM, Annas P, Penninx BW, Narayan VA, Hotopf M, Dobson RJ; RADAR-CNS consortium. Longitudinal Assessment of Seasonal Impacts and Depression Associations on Circadian Rhythm Using Multimodal Wearable Sensing: Retrospective Analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2024 Jun 28;26:e55302. doi: 10.2196/55302. Stewart C, Ranjan Y, Conde P, Sun S, Zhang Y, Rashid Z, Sankesara H, Cummins N, Laiou P, Bai X, Dobson RJB, Folarin AA. Physiological presentation and risk factors of long COVID in the UK using smartphones and wearable devices: a longitudinal, citizen science, case-control study. Lancet Digit Health. 2024 Sep;6(9):e640-e650. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(24)00140-7. Laiou P, Kaliukhovich DA, Folarin AA, Ranjan Y, Rashid Z, Conde P, Stewart C, Sun S, Zhang Y, Matcham F, Ivan A, Lavelle G, Siddi S, Lamers F, Penninx BW, Haro JM, Annas P, Cummins N, Vairavan S, Manyakov NV, Narayan VA, Dobson RJ, Hotopf M; RADAR-CNS. The Association Between Home Stay and Symptom Severity in Major Depressive Disorder: Preliminary Findings From a Multicenter Observational Study Using Geolocation Data From Smartphones. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2022 Jan 28;10(1):e28095. doi: 10.2196/28095. PMID: 35089148; PMCID: PMC8838593.