Toward Harmonizing Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in Mental Health Research and Services: A Delphi Study on an EMA Core Item Set
Abstract
Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) captures experience and behavior as they occur in daily life, yielding intensive longitudinal data that are well suited for modeling within- and between-person processes and outcomes. However, heterogeneity in EMA items across studies hampers comparability, data aggregation, and reproducibility. Objective: To establish expert consensus on an EMA core item set, a standardized set of momentary variables from which comparable phenotypic indicators can later be derived. This minimum item set aims to be broadly applicable yet concise enough for use in large-scale research consortia and routine care while maintaining minimal completion time and assessment burden, adopting a nested structure (i.e., minimum core, extended core, add-on modules). Methods: A Delphi study was conducted with support from an international expert panel (J.S., P.K., I.M-G., P.W., M.L.) and 50 invited EMA experts from the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). Candidate items were derived from prior work, the international expert panel, as well as a narrative review. The items were iteratively refined between Delphi rounds based on aggregated ratings and expert comments. They were assigned to one of three layers – the minimum core, extended core, or add-on modules – according to their degree of generality, the minimum core comprising the most broadly applicable items. A priori consensus was set at ≥75% endorsement. Rating stability and qualitative agreement informed revisions. Experts additionally reported on current methodological EMA practices (e.g., sampling frequency, study duration). Results: The EMA core phenotype was established in three rounds. Participation was n=41 in Round 1 (82%), n=43 in Round 2 (86%), and n=40 in Round 3 (80%). Of 69 initial item candidates, 37 partly revised items remained in the three-tiered structure. The finalized EMA minimum core (7 items) comprises four affect items, one item on social context, and two items on positive and negative events. The EMA extended core includes 5 additional items (total 12) on affect, social context, and activities. Completion time for both the minimum and extended core remains low. More specific items (e.g., self-esteem) are reserved for more specific EMA add-on modules. Conclusions: The consensus-derived DZPG EMA core phenotype provides a consented, ready-to-use item set that balances information yield with minimal assessment burden. By harmonizing EMA assessment across studies, it facilitates comparability, data pooling, and reproducible research while supporting integration into large-scale digital mental health assessment and intervention pipelines. The EMA core will be maintained as a living, versioned measure. Ongoing initiatives include a prospectively specified, multi-study validation program of items, systematic variation of design and assessment procedures (e.g., answering formats), as well as cross-cultural adaptation of the EMA core phenotype.
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BibTeX
@misc{rauschenberg2026toward,
title = {{Toward Harmonizing Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in Mental Health Research and Services: A Delphi Study on an EMA Core Item Set}},
author = {Christian Rauschenberg and Annette Brose and Joshua M. Smyth and Peter Kuppens and Peter Wilhelm and Inez Myin-Germeys and Harald Baumeister and Christine Knaevelsrud and Pascal-M. Aggensteiner and Patrick Bach},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/g7ykv_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/g7ykv_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Toward Harmonizing Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in Mental Health Research and Services: A Delphi Study on an EMA Core Item Set
AU - Christian Rauschenberg
AU - Annette Brose
AU - Joshua M. Smyth
AU - Peter Kuppens
AU - Peter Wilhelm
AU - Inez Myin-Germeys
AU - Harald Baumeister
AU - Christine Knaevelsrud
AU - Pascal-M. Aggensteiner
AU - Patrick Bach
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/g7ykv_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/g7ykv_v2/
AB - Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) captures experience and behavior as they occur in daily life, yielding intensive longitudinal data that are well suited for modeling within- and between-person processes and outcomes. However, heterogeneity in EMA items across studies hampers comparability, data aggregation, and reproducibility. Objective: To establish expert consensus on an EMA core item set, a standardized set of momentary variables from which comparable phenotypic indicators can later be derived. This minimum item set aims to be broadly applicable yet concise enough for use in large-scale research consortia and routine care while maintaining minimal completion time and assessment burden, adopting a nested structure (i.e., minimum core, extended core, add-on modules). Methods: A Delphi study was conducted with support from an international expert panel (J.S., P.K., I.M-G., P.W., M.L.) and 50 invited EMA experts from the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). Candidate items were derived from prior work, the international expert panel, as well as a narrative review. The items were iteratively refined between Delphi rounds based on aggregated ratings and expert comments. They were assigned to one of three layers – the minimum core, extended core, or add-on modules – according to their degree of generality, the minimum core comprising the most broadly applicable items. A priori consensus was set at ≥75% endorsement. Rating stability and qualitative agreement informed revisions. Experts additionally reported on current methodological EMA practices (e.g., sampling frequency, study duration). Results: The EMA core phenotype was established in three rounds. Participation was n=41 in Round 1 (82%), n=43 in Round 2 (86%), and n=40 in Round 3 (80%). Of 69 initial item candidates, 37 partly revised items remained in the three-tiered structure. The finalized EMA minimum core (7 items) comprises four affect items, one item on social context, and two items on positive and negative events. The EMA extended core includes 5 additional items (total 12) on affect, social context, and activities. Completion time for both the minimum and extended core remains low. More specific items (e.g., self-esteem) are reserved for more specific EMA add-on modules. Conclusions: The consensus-derived DZPG EMA core phenotype provides a consented, ready-to-use item set that balances information yield with minimal assessment burden. By harmonizing EMA assessment across studies, it facilitates comparability, data pooling, and reproducible research while supporting integration into large-scale digital mental health assessment and intervention pipelines. The EMA core will be maintained as a living, versioned measure. Ongoing initiatives include a prospectively specified, multi-study validation program of items, systematic variation of design and assessment procedures (e.g., answering formats), as well as cross-cultural adaptation of the EMA core phenotype.
ER -