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Introduction: Digital health technologies (DHTs) have the potential to alleviate challenges experienced in clinical trials through more objective, naturalistic, and frequent assessments of functioning. However, implementation of DHTs come with their own challenges, including acceptability and ease of use for study participants. In addition to acceptability, it is also important to understand device proficiency in the general population and within patient populations who may be asked to use DHTs for extended periods of time. We thus aimed to provide an overview of participant feedback on acceptability of DHTs, including body-worn sensors used in the clinic and a mobile application used at-home, used throughout the duration of the Wearable Assessments in the Clinic and at Home in Parkinson's Disease (WATCH-PD) study, an observational, longitudinal study looking at disease progression in early Parkinson's Disease (PD). Methods: 82 participants with PD and 50 control participants were enrolled at 17 sites throughout the United States and followed for 12 months. We assessed participants' general device proficiency at baseline, using the Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire (MDPQ). The mean MDPQ score at Baseline did not significantly differ between PD patients and healthy controls (20.6 [2.91] vs 21.5 [2.94], p = .10). Results: Questionnaire results demonstrated that participants had generally positive views on the comfort and use of the digital technologies throughout the duration of the study, regardless of group. Discussion: This is the first study to evaluate patient feedback and impressions of using technology in a longitudinal observational study in early Parkinson's Disease. Results demonstrate device proficiency and acceptability of various DHTs in people with Parkinson's does not differ from that of neurologically healthy older adults, and, overall, participants had a favorable view of the DHTs deployed in the WATCH-PD study.
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OBJECTIVES: The higher order structure of Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) is comparable in self-report affect data from younger and older adults. The current study advances this work by comparing the factor structure of facets of PA and NA in older and younger adults using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. METHOD: Older (N = 203; M age = 73.5 years, range 65-92) and younger (N = 349; M age = 19.1 years, range 18-30) adults completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Expanded Form (PANAS-X) (Watson, D., & Clark, L.A. (1999). Manual for the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule -- Expanded Form. Iowa City, IA: The University of Iowa), which measures General PA and NA as well as three facets of PA (Joviality, Self-Assurance, and Attentiveness) and four facets of NA (Fear, Sadness, Guilt, and Hostility). RESULTS: Item-level exploratory factor analyses of the facet scales revealed structures that were similar in older and younger adults; however, older adult solutions were more diffuse and diverged more from the PANAS-X scale structure. The facet of Sadness exhibited the largest age-group difference, relating more to guilt and anxiety in older than younger adults. CONCLUSION: Older adults may discriminate less amongst specific affect terms or may experience greater affective heterogeneity. Further, Sadness may manifest in age-specific ways. The construct variance of Sadness, and how this issue might be related to the assessment of depression in older adults, is discussed.