Northwestern's DRIVEN app: 68.3% of unemployed adults found work in a 126-person trial

A clinical trial led by Northwestern University tested DRIVEN, a smartphone app that combines weekly self-guided mental health exercises with job-search strategies, according to news.northwestern.edu. In a six-week trial of 126 unemployed adults in the U.S., 68.3% of those who received the app found work, compared with 50.8% in the control group northwestern.edunews.northwestern.edunews.northwestern.eduOpen source ↗. The results were published in The Journal of Medical Internet Research.

How the app works

The app was developed for the trial by Inspiration at Work. It offered job-search tips and three video sessions with a job coach, alongside six weeks of self-guided exercises intended to reduce stress and increase motivation. The exercises draw on behavioral activation, the idea that motivation often follows small actions, and that early successes create momentum for larger, more daunting tasks.

Senior author Stewart Shankman, professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, explained the approach with a jigsaw-puzzle analogy. Participants were asked to identify the "corner pieces" of their job search: steps that can be completed in 15 minutes and give a sense of success. They were also encouraged to consider a wide range of jobs and to identify transferable skills that could open additional opportunities.

Trial design and results

The trial enrolled 126 unemployed adults from across the U.S. who had never earned more than $100,000 annually and had elevated depressive symptoms. They were randomly assigned to DRIVEN or to a control group that received weekly emails with curated links to job advice and resources northwestern.edunews.northwestern.edunews.northwestern.eduOpen source ↗.

Compared with the control group, participants in the app group spent more time preparing for and pursuing employment opportunities. They also reported greater improvements in mood and larger reductions in depressive symptoms.

Shankman said that because the intervention is framed around finding a job rather than improving depression, it may be more acceptable to people who are reluctant to seek help for depression or even talk about it.

The researchers are now exploring ways to make the app available beyond the study, potentially through partnerships with state employment agencies and companies that provide job-search services to laid-off workers northwestern.edunews.northwestern.edunews.northwestern.eduOpen source ↗.