Fluctuations in Daily Happiness and Nervousness Based on Depressive and Anxious Symptoms in Adolescents or Young Adults Across 3 Latin American Cities: Experience Sampling Study (Priebe, 2025)
Ana L Vilela-Estrada, David Villarreal-Zegarra, Nikol Mayo-Puchoc, Nicola Holt, Ángela Flórez-Varela, Catherine Fung, Karen Ariza-Salazar, Fernando Luis Carbonetti, Sumiko Flores, Adriana Carbonel, Natividad Olivar, Carlos Gomez-Restrepo, Luis Ignacio Brusco, Stefan Priebe, Francisco Diez-Canseco
JMIR Publications, Vol 9 (2025)
Background:
Experience sampling methods (ESMs) have been used in clinical research to collect data on emotional and behavioral states in real-life contexts among different populations. Although the use of ESMs in mental health has increased, it has not been applied to larger samples of young people in disadvantaged urban settings.
Objective:
This study aimed to determine the extent to which mood status scores (happiness and nervousness) vary during a week, as a function of having or not having symptoms of depression or anxiety, in a sample of adolescents and young adults in the cities of Buenos Aires, Bogotá, and Lima. A secondary objective was to identify factors associated with mood scores, including sociodemographics, quality of life, and daily activities.
Methods:
This study was part of the Building Resilience and Resources to Reduce Mental Distress in Young People in Latin America research program, which focuses on mental health resources for young people. Participants (n=143) aged 15‐24 years completed daily ESM assessments over a week using the mobile app, resulting in 5246 reports. Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses with 2-tailed t tests and chi-square tests, and multilevel linear regression was used to examine associations between depressive or anxiety symptoms, mood variability, and factors influencing mean mood. Finally, Spearman correlation assessed the relationship between happiness and nervousness.