Experience Sampling Methodology Research Articles

Effective and adaptable: Four studies on the shortened attitude toward the color blue marker variable scale.

This research is an extension of the recent scale development efforts for the marker variable Attitude Toward the Color Blue (ATCB), which addresses the efficacy of multiple shorter permutations of the scale. The purpose of this study is to develop a shorter version of an ideal marker variable scale used to detect common method variance. Potential uses of the shorter version of ATCB include intensive longitudinal studies, implementation of experience sampling methodology, or any brief survey for which the original version might be cumbersome to implement repeatedly or appear very odd to the respondent when paired with only a few other substantive items. Study 1, uses all six-, five-, and four-item versions of ATCB in confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) marker technique tests on a bivariate relationship. Study 2 analyzes the best- and worst-performing versions of reduced lengths of the ATCB scale found in the first study on another bivariate relationship. Study 3 compares the original seven-item version, as well as randomly selected reduced length versions in a data set with 15 model relationships. Study 4 uses an experiment to determine the efficacy of providing respondents with one of three shorter ATCB scales in a model of three substantive variables. Our findings indicate that ATCB of different permutations and lengths can detect CMV successfully, and that researchers should choose the length of scale based on their survey length. We conclude that ATCB is adaptable for a variety of research situations, presenting it as a valuable tool for high-quality research.

Association of Positive, Negative, and Disorganized Schizotypy With the Temporal Dynamics of Schizotypic Experiences in Daily Life.

Schizotypy is a useful and unifying construct for examining the etiology, development, and expression of schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. The positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy dimensions are associated with distinct patterns of schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms and impairment. Furthermore, they are differentiated by mean levels of psychotic-like, suspicious, negative, and disorganized schizotypic experiences in daily life, and by temporal dynamics of affect. The schizotypy dimensions were thus hypothesized to be differentiated by the temporal dynamics of schizotypic experiences in daily life. The present study employed experience sampling methodology in a large nonclinically ascertained sample (n = 693) to examine the associations of multidimensional schizotypy with psychotic-like, suspicious, negative, and disorganized schizotypic experiences in daily life, as well as with their temporal dynamics (variability, reactivity, inertia, and instability). We replicated the mean-level associations between multidimensional schizotypy and schizotypic experiences in daily life. Furthermore, positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy demonstrated hypothesized, differential patterns of temporal dynamics of schizotypic experiences. Disorganized schizotypy demonstrated the most robust associations, including intensity, variability, and inertia of disorganized schizotypic experiences. Disorganized schizotypy also moderated reactivity of psychotic-like and disorganized schizotypic experiences following previously reported stress. Positive schizotypy was associated with intensity and variability of psychotic-like experiences. Negative schizotypy was associated with intensity and variability of negative schizotypic experiences. The findings indicate that schizotypy dimensions can be differentiated by both mean levels and temporal patterns of psychotic-like, suspicious, negative, and disorganized schizotypic experiences in daily life, with disorganized schizotypy uniquely characterized by stress reactivity.

Real-time incentivizing survey completion with game-based rewards in experience sampling research may increase data quantity, but reduces data quality

Experience sampling methodology (ESM) requires participants to repeatedly rate various psychological states in everyday life. This can be burdensome, leading to frequently skipped or missed assessments that undermine the ecological validity of collected data. Financially compensating participants may counter suboptimal response rates, but monetary rewards are not always feasible or ethical, and are unfitting to counter non-response in the moment. Here, we investigated the potential of a gamified momentary reward strategy to encourage survey completion. In a between-person experiment, we randomly assigned 193 participants to take part in a standard (i.e., no momentary incentives) or gamified ESM protocol. Upon completing a survey in the gamified condition, participants immediately received some virtual coins to purchase various in-app rewards (fun facts or personalized graphs). Gamifying momentary survey completion resulted in higher response rates and shorter latencies, but only for participants who frequently bought rewards in the coin store. Paradoxically, momentary gamification also caused participants’ responses to be slightly more unreliable. Completion times did not differ. The reward schemes of future ESM studies should focus on both response quantity and quality. To further explore the potential of momentary incentive strategies, we provide open access to customizable gamification building blocks within our ESM platform, m-Path.

Pressure to not feel bad among (different-sex) romantic partners: prevalence, and correlates

ABSTRACT Western society generally highly values happiness. As a result, people sometimes experience pressure not to feel negative emotions. In this study, we comprehensively investigated this pressure, and how it manifests itself, in adult romantic relationships. Specifically, we first examined when, how often and how intensely people experience pressure not to feel bad from their romantic partners (94 different-sex couples). Additionally, we investigated (both between- and within-person) how this pressure is related to context (presence of, contact and or conflict with a partner), emotional processes (i.e. experienced sadness and anxiety, emotion suppression, and how their partner perceived their affect), and relationship well-being. Using experience sampling methodology data (6/14 reports per day over one week) we found that although participants generally did not experience strong pressure from their partner, they experienced some feelings of pressure about 50% of the time. Furthermore, within-person predictors associated with negative processes/emotions (i.e. negative emotions, conflict, emotion suppression) were related to the momentary frequency (odds) and/or intensity of perceived pressure not to feel bad. At the between-person level, individuals who experience more sadness, anxiety and reported suppressing their emotions more often tended to experience more and/or stronger pressure. Only weak associations with relationship well-being were found.

The temporal dynamics of daily stress, affect, and several affect regulation processes, in patients with chronic mood and anxiety disorders before and after a mindful yoga intervention

Background and ObjectivesPatients with chronic mood and anxiety disorders experience many life stressors and are more reactive to these stressors. Although mindful yoga might reduce stress reactivity, little is known about the affect regulation mechanisms involved, such as repetitive negative thinking, fear of emotion, acting with awareness and body awareness. Design and MethodsUsing experience sampling methodology, 12 patients with chronic mood and anxiety disorders completed five daily assessments for 15 days before and after a 9-week mindful yoga intervention. Interrupted time-series analyses were used to assess mean-level change from pre-to-post intervention and vector autoregressive models to assess change in the temporal associations. ResultsMost individuals experienced positive changes in affect and the proposed affect regulation processes. Fear of emotion showed changes from pre-to-post intervention for most individuals (67%), followed by acting with awareness (58%), body awareness (58%) and repetitive negative thinking (50%). In the dynamic relationships between stressors, the four affect regulation processes and affect, there were individual differences in which pathways changed and how they changed. ConclusionsAfter a mindful yoga intervention, affect and several affect regulation processes improve in most individuals. Achieving this in the context of daily life stress, seems to be more complicated. Trial registrationISRCTN register (study ID ISRCTN13612864).

Too depressed and anxious to speak up: The relationships between weekly fluctuations in mental health and silence at work.

While it is widely acknowledged that some employees are more prone to silence than others, emerging research suggests that silence is much more dynamic than previously indicated, as even the most vocal employee will withhold input in some situations. However, given scant empirical attention to intraindividual fluctuations in silence, several important questions remain regarding its etiological antecedents, the mechanisms underlying such effects, and potential factors mitigating them. We respond by integrating the silence and mental health literature to consider how fluctuations in employees' experiences of depression and anxiety relate to fluctuations in silence via distinct silence motives. Specifically, we propose that employees are likely to engage in silence while experiencing episodes of depression because depressive symptomology shifts perceptions toward voice being pointless (i.e., ineffectual silence motive). Likewise, we propose that employees are likely to engage in silence while experiencing flare-ups of anxiety because anxious symptomology shifts perceptions toward voice being dangerous (i.e., defensive silence motive). Finally, we argue that voice endorsement attenuates these relationships by interrupting the link between silence motives and behaviors, such that employees experiencing heightened ineffectual and defensive silence motives are less likely to remain silent during weeks in which they experience high voice endorsement. We find support for these predictions via an experience sampling methodology study conducted with 136 employees across 4 weeks. We discuss how these results enhance theoretical clarity on the dynamic links between mental health and silence and offer insights into how organizations can counteract intrapersonal variations in silence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Daily leader humor and healthcare workers’ next-day helping behaviors: the roles of positive affect and difficulty in maintaining display rules

PurposeThe main purpose of our study is to investigate the impact of daily leader humor behaviors on healthcare workers’ daily psychological state and behavioral outcomes.Design/methodology/approachBased on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study proposes that daily leader humor behaviors are positively related to healthcare workers’ daily positive affect, which in turn affects their next-day helping behaviors towards patients. These predictions hinge on healthcare workers’ difficulty in maintaining display rules. We conducted a lagged experience sampling methodology (ESM) survey of 621 complete daily observations from 93 healthcare workers who work in direct contact with patients at a large public hospital in China across consecutive 10 working days.FindingsResults of multilevel path analysis demonstrate that daily leader humor behaviors are positively related to healthcare workers’ same-day positive affect, and this positive affect enhances their next-day helping behaviors towards patients. Furthermore, healthcare workers’ higher difficulty in maintaining display rules attenuates the benefits of daily leader humor behaviors.Originality/valueBuilding on the COR theory and adopting a diary research design, this study shows daily fluctuations in leader humor behaviors and proposes a mechanism through which daily leader humor behaviors indirectly affect healthcare workers’ next-day helping behaviors. Thus, our study disclosed possible means for healthcare organizations to improve service quality.

I Did Something Wrong: How and When Leaders Ruminate and Recover from Their Abusive Supervision

Although prior studies have begun to focus on how employees recover from abusive supervision experiences, how leaders ruminate on and recover from their abusive supervision remains unclear. On the basis of cognitive theories of rumination, we propose that abusive supervision is linked to two forms of rumination after work (i.e., affect-focused rumination and problem-solving pondering), which subsequently influence leaders’ next-day work engagement. Specifically, we suggest that affect-focused rumination and problem-solving pondering will hinder and facilitate leaders’ next-day work engagement, respectively. We also identify the past focus and future focus of leaders as moderators in the relationship between abusive supervision and the two forms of rumination. Using an experience sampling methodology for 10 workdays with data from 59 leaders, we find that leaders’ abusive supervision hinders their next-day work engagement through affect-focused rumination, which is aggravated by past focus and mitigated by future focus. However, the problem-solving pondering path is not supported. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our findings and proposing future research directions.

Assessing the Immediate Effects of Detached Mindfulness on Repetitive Negative Thinking and Affect in Daily Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectivesRepetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a problematic thinking style that is related to multiple mental disorders. Detached mindfulness is a technique of metacognitive therapy that aims to reduce RNT. Our study set out to investigate the immediate effects of detached mindfulness in daily life.MethodsParticipants with elevated trait RNT (n = 50) were prompted to engage in detached mindfulness exercises three times a day for 5 consecutive days. Immediate effects on RNT and affect were assessed 15 and 30 min after each exercise using experience sampling methodology. We compared the effects of this exercise phase to (1) a 5-day non-exercise baseline phase and (2) a different group of participants that engaged in an active control exercise (n = 50).ResultsResults of Bayesian multilevel models showed that, across groups, improvements in RNT, negative affect, and positive affect were stronger during the exercise phase than during the non-exercise baseline phase (RNT after 15 min: b = -0.26, 95% CI = [-0.38, -0.14]). However, the two exercise groups did not differ in these improvements (RNT after 15 min: b = 0.02, 95% CI = [-0.22, 0.27]). Thus, the detached mindfulness and the active control exercises resulted in similar effects on RNT and affect in daily life.ConclusionsResults of this study imply that there was no additional benefit of having participants observe their thoughts detached and non-judgmentally, compared to excluding these assumed mechanisms of action as done for the active control group. We discuss possible reasons for the non-difference between the groups.PreregistrationThis study was preregistered at https://osf.io/rze64.

An empirical study on the dark side of service employees’ AI awareness: Behavioral responses, emotional mechanisms, and mitigating factors

Drawing on the stressor-emotion model, our study unveils a multi-faceted moderated mediation model that delineates how artificial intelligence (AI) awareness influences frontline service employees’ counterproductive work behavior towards customers (CWBC) and work-family conflict (WFC), mediated by negative emotions (NE). We introduce promotion focus and empowering leadership as first-stage moderators, and family motivation as a second-stage moderator, to explore their buffering effects on the negative outcomes triggered by AI awareness. Employing an experience sampling methodology, we gathered data from 92 frontline service employees in hospitality over two working weeks. The findings indicate that heightened AI awareness correlates with increased emotional distress, which in turn exacerbates WFC and CWBC. Notably, our analysis reveals that employees with a pronounced promotion focus and those under empowering leadership regimes exhibit reduced negative emotional responses to AI-induced stressors. Moreover, individuals driven by strong family motivation not only demonstrate unique resilience in managing the interplay between work-induced stress and family well-being but also show a significant reduction in counterproductive work behaviors. Overall, this research provides a novel lens to understand the broader implications of AI in the service industry by employing a dynamic and multilevel approach.

Capturing the Social Life of a Person by Integrating Experience-Sampling Methodology and Personal-Social-Network Assessments

The daily social life of a person can be captured with different methodologies. Two methods that are especially promising are personal-social-network (PSN) data collection and experience-sampling methodology (ESM). Whereas PSN data collections ask participants to provide information on their social relationships and broader social environment, ESM studies collect intensive longitudinal data on social interactions in daily life using multiple short surveys per day. In combination, the two methods enable detailed insights into someone’s social life, including information on interactions with specific interaction partners from the personal network. Despite many potential uses of such data integration, there are few studies to date using the two methods in conjunction. This is likely due to their complexity and lack of software that allows capturing the full social life of someone while keeping the burden for participants and researchers sufficiently low. In this article, we report on the development of methodology and software for an ESM/PSN integration within the established ESM tool m-Path. We describe results of a first study using the developed tool that illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method combination and show that participants consider the assessments insightful. We further outline study-design choices and ethical considerations when combining the two methodologies. We hope to encourage applications of the presented methods in research and practice across different fields.

Temporal network of experience sampling methodology identifies sleep disturbance as a central symptom in generalized anxiety disorder

BackgroundA temporal network of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms could provide valuable understanding of the occurrence and maintenance of GAD. We aim to obtain an exploratory conceptualization of temporal GAD network and identify the central symptom.MethodsA sample of participants (n = 115) with elevated GAD-7 scores (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Questionnaire [GAD-7] ≥ 10) participated in an online daily diary study in which they reported their GAD symptoms based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria (eight symptoms in total) for 50 consecutive days. We used a multilevel VAR model to obtain the temporal network.ResultsIn temporal network, a lot of lagged relationships exist among GAD symptoms and these lagged relationships are all positive. All symptoms have autocorrelations and there are also some interesting feedback loops in temporal network. Sleep disturbance has the highest Out-strength centrality.ConclusionsThis study indicates how GAD symptoms interact with each other and strengthen themselves over time, and particularly highlights the relationships between sleep disturbance and other GAD symptoms. Sleep disturbance may play an important role in the dynamic development and maintenance process of GAD. The present study may develop the knowledge of the theoretical model, diagnosis, prevention and intervention of GAD from a temporal symptoms network perspective.

Individual outcomes after tailored versus generic self-management strategies for persistent fatigue in youth with a fatigue syndrome or rheumatic condition: A multiple single-case study.

To examine individual outcomes after tailored lifestyle (PROfeel) or generic dietary advice as self-management intervention for persistent fatigue in adolescents and young adults with a chronic condition, to compare participants who did and did not benefit and to explore changes to factors in the biopsychosocial model of fatigue after PROfeel. A multiple single-case AB-phase design was embedded in a randomized crossover trial (N = 45). Intensive longitudinal data (ILD) on outcomes 'fatigue severity', 'self-efficacy' and 'quality of life' (QoL) were collected through weekly smartphone measurement for 20 weeks. ILD on biopsychosocial factors were collected through experience sampling methodology for 28 days pre-post first intervention. Baseline characteristics were compared with t-tests and chi-square tests. Permutation distancing tests were used to assess change over time in all ILD. Regarding weekly measurements, nineteen participants (42.22%) showed small to large positive outcomes (drange = .05 to 2.59), mostly after PROfeel. Eleven participants (24.44%) showed small to moderate negative outcomes (drange = -.02 to -2.46), mostly after dietary advice. Fatigue severity improved most, followed by self-efficacy. Participants who benefitted showed higher QoL levels and lower fatigue and pain levels compared with others at baseline (all p < .02). When positive outcomes were observed after PROfeel, typically ≥1 biopsychosocial factor had been targeted successfully. Self-management advice has more potential when tailored to individual characteristics, including the biopsychosocial model of fatigue. PROfeel appears particularly useful as fatigue intervention for individuals with relatively less severe symptoms.

Measuring Student Engagement in Lessons Using an Experience Sampling Methodology: The Development and Validation of the Dynamic Engagement With Learning Questionnaire

Student engagement is a central construct in education research, as it is a strong predictor and/or mediator of both cognitive and non-cognitive student outcomes. However, there remain questions among researchers about how to properly measure student engagement during lessons. Our study contributes to this discussion by presenting the development and validation of a theoretically grounded questionnaire of students’ lesson engagement, which is based on an experience sampling methodology. To validate this questionnaire, we issued it to 410 fifth- and sixth-grade students (10–12 years old). The results of both an exploratory and multilevel confirmatory factor analysis approved construct validity of the measure. Adequate within-person variability across time points was also found, which makes the questionnaire suitable for capturing fluctuations over time. Furthermore, partial scalar measurement invariance for questionnaire administration across time points and between fifth- and sixth-grade students was found.

Computerized cognitive control training to reduce rumination in major depression: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveRumination is a major risk factor for the onset and recurrence of depressive episodes and has been associated with deficits in updating working memory content. This randomized controlled trial examines whether training updating-specific cognitive control processes reduces daily ruminative thoughts in clinically depressed individuals. MethodsSixty-five individuals with a current major depressive episode were randomized to 10 sessions of either cognitive control training (N = 31) or placebo training (N = 34). The frequency and negativity of individuals’ daily ruminative thoughts were assessed for seven days before training, after training, and at a 3-month follow-up using experience sampling methodology. Secondary outcomes were depressive symptoms, depressed mood, and level of disability. ResultsCognitive control training led to stronger improvements in the trained task than placebo training. However, cognitive control training did not lead to greater reductions in the frequency or negativity of daily ruminative thoughts than placebo training. There were no training-specific effects on participants' depressive symptoms or level of disability. ConclusionsThe robustness of the present null-findings, combined with the methodological strengths of the study, suggest that training currently depressed individuals to update emotional content in working memory does not affect the frequency or negativity of their daily ruminative thoughts.

Inner speech in the daily lives of people with aphasia.

This exploratory, preliminary, feasibility study evaluated the extent to which adults with chronic aphasia (N = 23) report experiencing inner speech in their daily lives by leveraging experience sampling and survey methodology. The presence of inner speech was assessed at 30 time-points and themes of inner speech at three time-points, over the course of three weeks. The relationship of inner speech to aphasia severity, demographic information (age, sex, years post-stroke), and insight into language impairment was evaluated. There was low attrition (<8%) and high compliance (>94%) for the study procedures, and inner speech was experienced in most sampled instances (>78%). The most common themes of inner speech experience across the weeks were 'when remembering', 'to plan', and 'to motivate oneself'. There was no significant relationship identified between inner speech and aphasia severity, insight into language impairment, or demographic information. In conclusion, adults with aphasia tend to report experiencing inner speech often, with some shared themes (e.g., remembering, planning), and use inner speech to explore themes that are uncommon in young adults in other studies (e.g., to talk to themselves about health). High compliance and low attrition suggest design feasibility, and results emphasize the importance of collecting data in age-similar, non-brain-damaged peers as well as in adults with other neurogenic communication disorders to fully understand the experience and use of inner speech in daily life. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Associations between disturbed sleep and attenuated psychotic experiences in people at clinical high risk for psychosis.

Pre-diagnostic stages of psychotic illnesses, including 'clinical high risk' (CHR), are marked by sleep disturbances. These sleep disturbances appear to represent a key aspect in the etiology and maintenance of psychotic disorders. We aimed to examine the relationship between self-reported sleep dysfunction and attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) on a day-to-day basis. Seventy-six CHR young people completed the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) component of the European Union Gene-Environment Interaction Study, collected through PsyMate® devices, prompting sleep and symptom questionnaires 10 times daily for 6 days. Bayesian multilevel mixed linear regression analyses were performed on time-variant ESM data using the brms package in R. We investigated the day-to-day associations between sleep and psychotic experiences bidirectionally on an item level. Sleep items included sleep onset latency, fragmentation, and quality. Psychosis items assessed a range of perceptual, cognitive, and bizarre thought content common in the CHR population. Two of the seven psychosis variables were unidirectionally predicted by previous night's number of awakenings: every unit increase in number of nightly awakenings predicted a 0.27 and 0.28 unit increase in feeling unreal or paranoid the next day, respectively. No other sleep variables credibly predicted next-day psychotic symptoms or vice-versa. In this study, the relationship between sleep disturbance and APS appears specific to the item in question. However, some APS, including perceptual disturbances, had low levels of endorsement amongst this sample. Nonetheless, these results provide evidence for a unidirectional relationship between sleep and some APS in this population.

Feasibility of a novel blended-care intervention for fatigue after acquired brain injury: a pilot study of the Tied by Tiredness intervention

ABSTRACT Purpose Evidence-based treatments for fatigue after brain injury are scarce and often not personalized. An approach to foster personalization is Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM), consisting of repeated daily measurements of fatigue and related factors in daily life. We investigated the feasibility and usability of a novel six-week ESM-based intervention for fatigue after brain injury. Materials and methods Ten individuals with acquired brain injury (six men; four women) aged between 36–70 years (M = 53.3, SD = 12.9) used a mHealth application for three days each week during six-weeks; seven completed the intervention. Momentary fatigue, activities, mood, worrying, and social context were assessed with ESM and participants received weekly personalized feedback by a therapist.. Results 56% of ESM-questionnaires (568/1008) were completed, providing detailed insights into individual fatigue patterns. No statistically significant decrease in response rate was found over the course of treatment. Qualitative feedback from participants revealed increased insight into factors underlying fatigue, and no problems with treatment duration or difficulties using the app. Five participants showed a decline in fatigue level during treatment. Conclusions This pilot study provides initial support for the feasibility and usability of this novel blended-care intervention, aimed at alleviating fatigue through personalized feedback and treatment strategies.

The SAFE Model: State Authenticity as a Function of Three Types of Fit.

The SAFE model asserts that state authenticity stems from three types of fit to the environment. Across two studies of university students, we validated instruments measuring self-concept, goal, and social fit as unique predictors of state authenticity. In Study 1 (N = 969), relationships between fit and state authenticity were robust to controlling for conceptually similar and distinct variables. Using experience sampling methodology, Study 2 (N = 269) provided evidence that fit and authenticity co-vary at the state (i.e., within-person) level, controlling for between-person effects. Momentary variation in each fit type predicted greater state authenticity, willingness to return to the situation, and state attachment to one's university. Each fit type was also predicted by distinct contextual features (e.g., location, activity, company). Supporting a theorized link to cognitive fluency, situations eliciting self-concept fit elicited higher working memory capacity and lower emotional burnout. We discuss the implications of fit in educational contexts.

Personalized exposure and experience sampling method feedback versus exposure as usual for obsessive–compulsive disorder: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundPatients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer from repetitive fearful intrusions which they try to neutralize by performing compulsions. OCD is considered to be the most resistant anxiety disorder with a remission rate of only 53% after a year of an evidence-based treatment. Therefore, it remains an obligation to develop and investigate more effective treatment interventions. This study aims to compare personalized exposure with response prevention (ERP) using experience sampling methodology-based feedback to ERP as usual in patients with OCD. Personalized exposure will be provided screen-to-screen in an ecologically valid (real time and real place) context by means of a smartphone application. This app will also be used to collect both objective and subjective data by means of experience sampling methodology (ESM). This ESM data will be used to identify triggers and protective factors for symptom severity, provide personalized feedback and optimize the effect of ERP. The primary goal of this RCT is to compare the effectiveness of personalized ERP to ERP as usual in the traditional context of a therapist’s room in patients with OCD in OCD symptom severity, as well as differences in quality of life, depressive symptoms and anxiety states. Since both self-efficacy and experiential avoidance are known to influence symptom severity in OCS, a secondary goal is to examine if a possible treatment effect is mediated by self-efficacy or experiential avoidance.MethodsThis study involves a randomized controlled trial with 20 weekly sessions by 2 groups (ERP as usual versus personalized ERP), repeated measurements at baseline (T0), 5 weeks of treatment (T1), 10 weeks of treatment (T2), 15 weeks of treatment (T3), posttest at 20 weeks (T4), 6 weeks follow-up (T5), 3 months follow-up (T6), 6 months follow-up (T7) and a year follow-up (T8). A hundred and sixty patients with an OCD diagnosis according to DSM-5 criteria will participate. Half of the group will receive exposure with response prevention as usual, the other half will receive personalized exposure with response prevention with a smartphone application and personalized feedback sessions based on experience sampling data. Multilevel mixed modelling analysis will be used to investigate differences in treatment effect, as well as differences in quality of life, depressive symptoms and anxiety states. We will use the macro of Preacher and Hayes and apply bootstrapping methods to assess the possible mediating effect of changes in self-efficacy and experiential avoidance on subsequent treatment effects.DiscussionThis randomized controlled trial is the first to assess the influence of delivering ERP through video-calling and the use of an ESM intervention on the symptom severity of OCD. Since the global pandemic COVID-19, the use of video-calling to deliver psychological treatments has become more common, increasing the relevance of this study.Trial registrationICTRP Trial NL8254. Registered on 2019–12-24.