Ecological Momentary Intervention for Depressive Symptoms in a Community Sample in Hong Kong

The key aim of the study is to test the efficacy of a 4-week ecological momentary intervention (EMI), as compared with the regular weekly-based intervention (control group), in reducing (1) symptoms of depression and (2) rumination in community-dwelling individuals. The efficacy of the EMI in reducing distress and improving functioning is also examined. For both EMI and control groups, the intervention will be delivered through SMS text messages, with a link to a user-friendly and locally-adapted intervention platform designed using Qualtrics (online survey programme). It is hypothesised that (1) those in the EMI group, as compared to the control group, will show greater reductions in (1) depressive symptoms, (2) rumination level, (3) distress, and in (4) improving functioning. These effects are hypothesised to be observed in individuals with varying levels of symptom severity.