Exploring Mediators of a Guided Web-Based Self-Help Intervention for People With HIV and Depressive Symptoms: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is frequently used to treat depressive symptoms in people living with HIV. We developed an internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention for people with HIV and depressive symptoms, which was based on an effective self-help booklet. The Web-based intervention was previously found to be effective. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate potential mediators of the Web-based intervention. Methods This study was part of a randomized controlled trial, in which the intervention was compared with an attention-only waiting list control condition. Participants were 188 (97 in intervention group and 91 in control group) people with HIV and mild to moderate depressive symptoms recruited in HIV treatment centers in the Netherlands. A total of 22 participants (22/188, 11.7%) in the study were female and 166 (166/188, 88.3%) were male. The average age of the participants was 46.30 years (SD 10.63). The intervention comprised Web-based self-help CBT for 8 weeks, 1 to 2 hours a week, including minimal telephone support from a coach. The participants received Web-based questionnaires at pretest, 3 times during the intervention/or waiting period, and post intervention. The outcome was depressive symptoms. Factors tested as potential mediators were changes in behavioral activation, relaxation, the cognitive coping strategies catastrophizing and positive refocusing, goal re-engagement, and coping self-efficacy. Results Using multilevel structural equation modeling, changes in behavioral activation (P=.006) and goal re-engagement (P=.009) were found to be significant mediators of the intervention effect. The mediation effect seemed to occur between weeks 3 and 5 for behavioral activation and weeks 1 and 3 for goal re-engagement. Using (bivariate) autoregressive latent trajectory analysis, we found a return effect (from the dependent variable to the mediator) for goal re-engagement but not for behavioral activation, which suggested that the mediation effect of changes in behavioral activation was stronger than that in goal re-engagement. Conclusions The results suggest that changes in behavioral activation and goal re-engagement may mediate the effect of the Web-based intervention for people with HIV and depressive symptoms. The results may lead to possible mechanisms of change of the intervention and improvement of therapy outcomes. Clinical Trial Netherlands Trial Register NTR5407; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/5298

Recommended "Dose" * What do the instructions for users say on how often the app should be used?
Approx. Percentage of Users (starters) still using the app as recommended after 3 months * people were instructed to use the intervention for (at least) two mont Is this a full powered effectiveness trial or a pilot/feasibility trial? * Manuscript tracking number * If this is a JMIR submission, please provide the manuscript tracking number under "other" (The ms tracking number can be found in the submission acknowledgement email, or when you login as author in JMIR. If the paper is already published in JMIR, then the ms tracking number is the fourdigit number at the end of the DOI, to be found at the bottom of each published article in JMIR) Secondary analysis of mediators 1a-i) Identify the mode of delivery in the title Identify the mode of delivery. Preferably use "web-based" and/or "mobile" and/or "electronic game" in the title. Avoid ambiguous terms like "online", "virtual", "interactive". Use "Internet-based" only if Intervention includes non-web-based Internet components (e.g. email), use "computer-based" or "electronic" only if o ine products are used. Use "virtual" only in the context of "virtual reality" (3-D worlds). Use "online" only in the context of "online support groups". Complement or substitute product names with broader terms for the class of products (such as "mobile" or "smart phone" instead of "iphone"), especially if the application runs on different platforms.
Does your paper address subitem 1a-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from manuscript title (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "web-based" 1a-ii) Non-web-based components or important co-interventions in title Mention non-web-based components or important co-interventions in title, if any (e.g., "with telephone support").
Does your paper address subitem 1a-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from manuscript title (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 1a-iii) Primary condition or target group in the title Mention primary condition or target group in the title, if any (e.g., "for children with Type I Diabetes") Example: A Web-based and Mobile Intervention with Telephone Support for Children with Type I Diabetes: Randomized Controlled Trial Does your paper address subitem 1a-iii? * Copy and paste relevant sections from manuscript title (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "for people with HIV and depressive symptoms" 1b-i) Key features/functionalities/components of the intervention and comparator in the METHODS section of the ABSTRACT Mention key features/functionalities/components of the intervention and comparator in the abstract. If possible, also mention theories and principles used for designing the site. Keep in mind the needs of systematic reviewers and indexers by including important synonyms. (Note: Only report in the abstract what the main paper is reporting. If this information is missing from the main body of text, consider adding it) Does your paper address subitem 1b-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript abstract (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "The intervention consisted of online cognitive behavioral therapy for eight weeks, including minimal telephone support from a coach". "the intervention was compared to an attention only waiting list control condition".
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 1b-ii) Level of human involvement in the METHODS section of the ABSTRACT Clarify the level of human involvement in the abstract, e.g., use phrases like "fully automated" vs. "therapist/nurse/care provider/physician-assisted" (mention number and expertise of providers involved, if any). (Note: Only report in the abstract what the main paper is reporting. If this information is missing from the main body of text, consider adding it) Does your paper address subitem 1b-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript abstract (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 1b-iii) Open vs. closed, web-based (self-assessment) vs. face-toface assessments in the METHODS section of the ABSTRACT Mention how participants were recruited (online vs. o ine), e.g., from an open access website or from a clinic or a closed online user group (closed usergroup trial), and clarify if this was a purely web-based trial, or there were face-to-face components (as part of the intervention or for assessment). Clearly say if outcomes were self-assessed through questionnaires (as common in web-based trials Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "Research on online CBT to treat depressive symptoms in PLWH is scarce. As far as we know, no studies were conducted on mediators of online CBT for depressive symptoms in PLWH. Though, potential mediators of CBT (face-to-face and online) for people with depressive symptoms in general have been investigated in the last decade. First of all, when we look at face-to-face CBT for depressive symptoms, the literature regarding changes in cognitions as a mediator is mixed. Three reviews have found that a change in cognitions was an important mediator (5-7), while another review has concluded that there is little evidence for cognitive mediation in CBT for depression (8). Therefore, the role of changing cognitions as a mediator in CBT for depressive symptoms is still unclear. Furthermore, the mediating role of behavioral factors such as changes in activation level, in CBT for depression was investigated in a review (7). Changes in behavioral factors were found to be a signi cant mediator in three out of six studies".
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 2b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "We statistically explored mediators for the decrease in depressive symptoms that might refer to causal mechanisms of change that may have been activated by the intervention components" 3b) Important changes to methods after trial commencement (such as eligibility criteria), with reasons subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 4a) Eligibility criteria for participants Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 3a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "This study is part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of the self-help intervention 'Living positive with HIV'".
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 3b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study No changes were made 3b-i) Bug xes, Downtimes, Content Changes Bug xes, Downtimes, Content Changes: ehealth systems are often dynamic systems. A description of changes to methods therefore also includes important changes made on the intervention or comparator during the trial (e.g., major bug xes or changes in the functionality or content) (5-iii) and other "unexpected events" that may have in uenced study design such as staff changes, system failures/downtimes, etc. [2].
Does your paper address subitem 3b-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 4a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "being HIV positive for at least six months, age > 17 years, mastery of the Dutch or English language, available for the next eight weeks, having Internet and an email address, no use of antidepressants or use for more than three months and no change of type or dose of antidepressants in the past three months, absence of severe cognitive impairments, not currently treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist, presence of mild to moderate depressive symptoms (determined by a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 -PHQ-9 (14)-score > 4 and < 20), absence of severe suicide ideation (determined by a score < 2 on question 9 of the PHQ-9)".

4a-i) Computer / Internet literacy
Computer / Internet literacy is often an implicit "de facto" eligibility criterion -this should be explicitly clari ed.
Does your paper address subitem 4a-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 4a-ii) Open vs. closed, web-based vs. face-to-face assessments: Open vs. closed, web-based vs. face-to-face assessments: Mention how participants were recruited (online vs. o ine), e.g., from an open access website or from a clinic, and clarify if this was a purely web-based trial, or there were face-to-face components (as part of the intervention or for assessment), i.e., to what degree got the study team to know the participant. In online-only trials, clarify if participants were quasi-anonymous and whether having multiple identities was possible or whether technical or logistical measures (e.g., cookies, email con rmation, phone calls) were used to detect/prevent these.
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 4b) Settings and locations where the data were collected Does your paper address subitem 4a-ii? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "Nursing consultants and doctors in 23 of 26 HIV treatment centers in the Netherlands recruited participants during regular check-ups. Patients were screened with the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2; (13)), and when their score was higher than zero, they were informed about the study and referred to the researchers when they were interested. Researchers called the patients and screened them on the inclusion criteria". "In addition, they were called by a personal coach each week for about 15 minutes".
4a-iii) Information giving during recruitment Information given during recruitment. Specify how participants were briefed for recruitment and in the informed consent procedures (e.g., publish the informed consent documentation as appendix, see also item X26), as this information may have an effect on user self-selection, user expectation and may also bias results.
Does your paper address subitem 4a-iii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 4b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Data were collected online.
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 5) The interventions for each group with su cient details to allow replication, including how and when they were actually administered 4b-i) Report if outcomes were (self-)assessed through online questionnaires Clearly report if outcomes were (self-)assessed through online questionnaires (as common in webbased trials) or otherwise.
Does your paper address subitem 4b-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "All assessments were completed online".

4b-ii) Report how institutional a liations are displayed
Report how institutional a liations are displayed to potential participants [on ehealth media], as a liations with prestigious hospitals or universities may affect volunteer rates, use, and reactions with regards to an intervention.(Not a required item -describe only if this may bias results) Does your paper address subitem 4b-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address subitem 5-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer

5-ii) Describe the history/development process
Describe the history/development process of the application and previous formative evaluations (e.g., focus groups, usability testing), as these will have an impact on adoption/use rates and help with interpreting results.
Does your paper address subitem 5-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer

5-iii) Revisions and updating
Revisions and updating. Clearly mention the date and/or version number of the application/intervention (and comparator, if applicable) evaluated, or describe whether the intervention underwent major changes during the evaluation process, or whether the development and/or content was "frozen" during the trial. Describe dynamic components such as news feeds or changing content which may have an impact on the replicability of the intervention (for unexpected events see item 3b).
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential Does your paper address subitem 5-iii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 5-iv) Quality assurance methods Provide information on quality assurance methods to ensure accuracy and quality of information provided [1], if applicable.
Does your paper address subitem 5-iv?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 5-v) Ensure replicability by publishing the source code, and/or providing screenshots/screen-capture video, and/or providing owcharts of the algorithms used Ensure replicability by publishing the source code, and/or providing screenshots/screen-capture video, and/or providing owcharts of the algorithms used. Replicability (i.e., other researchers should in principle be able to replicate the study) is a hallmark of scienti c reporting.
Does your paper address subitem 5-v?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer

5-vi) Digital preservation
Digital preservation: Provide the URL of the application, but as the intervention is likely to change or disappear over the course of the years; also make sure the intervention is archived (Internet Archive, webcitation.org, and/or publishing the source code or screenshots/videos alongside the article). As pages behind login screens cannot be archived, consider creating demo pages which are accessible without login.
Does your paper address subitem 5-vi?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer

5-vii) Access
Access: Describe how participants accessed the application, in what setting/context, if they had to pay (or were paid) or not, whether they had to be a member of speci c group. If known, describe how participants obtained "access to the platform and Internet" [1]. To ensure access for editors/reviewers/readers, consider to provide a "backdoor" login account or demo mode for reviewers/readers to explore the application (also important for archiving purposes, see vi).
Does your paper address subitem 5-vii? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "Participants received login details for the secured website of the intervention". "Participants received €25 when they completed all questionnaires".
subitem not at all important Does your paper address subitem 5-viii? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "The intervention consists of CBT and contains four main components: 1) behavioural activation: conducting small positive activities (week 1); 2) relaxation exercises (week 2); 3) changing negative cognitions into more balanced cognitions and eliciting strong and positive feelings when negative feelings are experienced (week 3 to 5); and 4) goal attainment: setting important personal goals and working on attaining them (week 6 and 7). Participants received login details for the secured website of the intervention". " In addition, they were called by a personal coach each week for about 15 minutes".

5-ix) Describe use parameters
Describe use parameters (e.g., intended "doses" and optimal timing for use Does your paper address subitem 5-ix? Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 5-x) Clarify the level of human involvement Clarify the level of human involvement (care providers or health professionals, also technical assistance) in the e-intervention or as co-intervention (detail number and expertise of professionals involved, if any, as well as "type of assistance offered, the timing and frequency of the support, how it is initiated, and the medium by which the assistance is delivered". It may be necessary to distinguish between the level of human involvement required for the trial, and the level of human involvement required for a routine application outside of a RCT setting (discuss under item 21generalizability).
Does your paper address subitem 5-x?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 5-xi) Report any prompts/reminders used Report any prompts/reminders used: Clarify if there were prompts (letters, emails, phone calls, SMS) to use the application, what triggered them, frequency etc. It may be necessary to distinguish between the level of prompts/reminders required for the trial, and the level of prompts/reminders for a routine application outside of a RCT setting (discuss under item 21 -generalizability).
Does your paper address subitem 5-xi? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study No reminders were sent.
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 6a) Completely de ned pre-speci ed primary and secondary outcome measures, including how and when they were assessed subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 5-xii) Describe any co-interventions (incl. training/support) Describe any co-interventions (incl. training/support): Clearly state any interventions that are provided in addition to the targeted eHealth intervention, as ehealth intervention may not be designed as stand-alone intervention. This includes training sessions and support [1]. It may be necessary to distinguish between the level of training required for the trial, and the level of training for a routine application outside of a RCT setting (discuss under item 21 -generalizability. Does your paper address subitem 5-xii? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study No co-interventions were used.
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 6a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Mediation analysis, so no speci c primary and secondary outcome measures. Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 6b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Three mediators were de ned beforehand, but we did not analyse these. The rst one is anxiety symptoms, because we think that it may be an outcome, but not a mediator. The second is cognitive reappraisal (2 items of the emotion regulation questionnaire) because it has much overlap with the CERQ. The last one is goal disengagement, because the reliability of the items of this questionnaire in our study was very low.

7a-i) Describe whether and how expected attrition was taken into account when calculating the sample size
Describe whether and how expected attrition was taken into account when calculating the sample size.
Does your paper address subitem 7a-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from manuscript title (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 7b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study 8a) Method used to generate the random allocation sequence NPT: When applicable, how care providers were allocated to each trial group 8b) Type of randomisation; details of any restriction (such as blocking and block size) 9) Mechanism used to implement the random allocation sequence (such as sequentially numbered containers), describing any steps taken to conceal the sequence until interventions were assigned Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 8a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "Strati ed randomization by sex and HIV treatment center was performed. A random number table was used to create the sequence, which was done by an independent researcher and concealed from the main researcher".
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 8b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 9? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.
10) Who generated the random allocation sequence, who enrolled participants, and who assigned participants to interventions 11a) If done, who was blinded after assignment to interventions (for example, participants, care providers, those assessing outcomes) and how NPT: Whether or not administering co-interventions were blinded to group assignment subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 10? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.
11a-i) Specify who was blinded, and who wasn't Specify who was blinded, and who wasn't. Usually, in web-based trials it is not possible to blind the participants [1, 3] (this should be clearly acknowledged), but it may be possible to blind outcome assessors, those doing data analysis or those administering co-interventions (if any).
Does your paper address subitem 11a-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 11b) If relevant, description of the similarity of interventions (this item is usually not relevant for ehealth trials as it refers to similarity of a placebo or sham intervention to a active medication/intervention) 12a) Statistical methods used to compare groups for primary and secondary outcomes NPT: When applicable, details of whether and how the clustering by care providers or centers was addressed 11a-ii) Discuss e.g., whether participants knew which intervention was the "intervention of interest" and which one was the "comparator" subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 12a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "The mediation analyses were conducted with the PHQ-2 score as dependent variable (Y), Group (intervention and control) as independent variable (X), and activation, relaxation, the cognitive coping strategies catastrophizing and positive refocusing, goal reengagement, and coping self-e cacy as potential mediators (M). Note that the PHQ-2 and all six mediator questionnaires were administered at all ve measurement moments (pre-test, week 1, 3, 5, and post-test).
The mediation analyses were performed in three steps. In step 1 all potential mediators were entered separately into a multilevel structural equation model (MSEM (20)). An MSEM model was chosen because Group (X) does not change over time (level 2: between subjects-level), whereas PHQ-2 (Y) and the mediator (M) scores do change over time (level 1: within subjects-level). As Group (X) is constant over time, only mediation at the between level can take place. To test this, MSEM computes the product term a x b and evaluates its signi cance, with a being the between effect from X to M, and b the between effect from M to Y.
Mediation is present when the product term signi cantly differs from zero. The signi cant mediators that were found were thereafter all together included in a single model in order to investigate which mediation effects remain signi cant after controlling for the other mediators in the model. The analysis in step 1 was repeated for the per protocol sample, as a sensitivity analysis. The per protocol sample included participants in the intervention group that nished at least the rst ve lessons of the intervention, and participants in the control group that received at least ve telephone calls from the coach".
12a-i) Imputation techniques to deal with attrition / missing values Imputation techniques to deal with attrition / missing values: Not all participants will use the intervention/comparator as intended and attrition is typically high in ehealth trials. Specify how participants who did not use the application or dropped out from the trial were treated in the statistical analysis (a complete case analysis is strongly discouraged, and simple imputation techniques such as LOCF may also be problematic [4] Does your paper address subitem 12a-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "The analyses were based on full information maximum likelihood (FIML) techniques, which means that all available data -including participants with partially missing data -was used".
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 12b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "In step 2 an explorative analysis was conducted to investigate when the mediating effect(s) exactly occurred (i.e., in between which two measurement moments Does your paper address subitem X26-ii? Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer

X26-iii) Safety and security procedures
Safety and security procedures, incl. privacy considerations, and any steps taken to reduce the likelihood or detection of harm (e.g., education and training, availability of a hotline) Does your paper address subitem X26-iii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 13a) For each group, the numbers of participants who were randomly assigned, received intended treatment, and were analysed for the primary outcome NPT: The number of care providers or centers performing the intervention in each group and the number of patients treated by each care provider in each center 13b) For each group, losses and exclusions after randomisation, together with reasons subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 13a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "In the HIV treatment centers, 3642 patients were screened on depressive symptoms. Of these, 445 were screened by the researchers and 188 patients were included in the study. Patients were 1:1 randomized to the intervention group (n = 97) and the control group (n = 91). Note that due to the strati ed randomization the intervention group contains a few more subjects than the control group. The post-test was completed by 75 participants (77%) of the intervention group and 77 participants (85%) of the control group. Figure 1 displays for each group separately the ow of participants through the study in terms of PHQ-2".
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 13b? (NOTE: Preferably, this is shown in a CONSORT ow diagram) * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study See Figure 1.

13b-i) Attrition diagram
Strongly recommended: An attrition diagram (e.g., proportion of participants still logging in or using the intervention/comparator in each group plotted over time, similar to a survival curve) or other gures or tables demonstrating usage/dose/engagement. 14b) Why the trial ended or was stopped (early) Does your paper address subitem 13b-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript or cite the gure number if applicable (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 14a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.
14a-i) Indicate if critical "secular events" fell into the study period Indicate if critical "secular events" fell into the study period, e.g., signi cant changes in Internet resources available or "changes in computer hardware or Internet delivery resources" Does your paper address subitem 14a-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 14b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study The trial was not ended or stopped early. ) For each group, number of participants (denominator) included in each analysis and whether the analysis was by original assigned groups Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 15? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.

15-i) Report demographics associated with digital divide issues
In ehealth trials it is particularly important to report demographics associated with digital divide issues, such as age, education, gender, social-economic status, computer/Internet/ehealth literacy of the participants, if known.
Does your paper address subitem 15-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study 17a) For each primary and secondary outcome, results for each group, and the estimated effect size and its precision (such as 95% con dence interval) 16-i) Report multiple "denominators" and provide de nitions Report multiple "denominators" and provide de nitions: Report N's (and effect sizes) "across a range of study participation [and use] thresholds" [1], e.g., N exposed, N consented, N used more than x times, N used more than y weeks, N participants "used" the intervention/comparator at speci c prede ned time points of interest (in absolute and relative numbers per group). Always clearly de ne "use" of the intervention.
Does your paper address subitem 16-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "The analyses were based on full information maximum likelihood (FIML) techniques, which means that all available data -including participants with partially missing data -was used".

16-ii) Primary analysis should be intent-to-treat
Primary analysis should be intent-to-treat, secondary analyses could include comparing only "users", with the appropriate caveats that this is no longer a randomized sample (see 18-i).
Does your paper address subitem 16-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 17b) For binary outcomes, presentation of both absolute and relative effect sizes is recommended 18) Results of any other analyses performed, including subgroup analyses and adjusted analyses, distinguishing prespeci ed from exploratory Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 17a? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study See Table 2. 17a-i) Presentation of process outcomes such as metrics of use and intensity of use In addition to primary/secondary (clinical) outcomes, the presentation of process outcomes such as metrics of use and intensity of use (dose, exposure) and their operational de nitions is critical. This does not only refer to metrics of attrition (13-b) (often a binary variable), but also to more continuous exposure metrics such as "average session length". These must be accompanied by a technical description how a metric like a "session" is de ned (e.g., timeout after idle time) [1] (report under item 6a).
Does your paper address subitem 17a-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 17b? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 18? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study See Table 3 and 4.

18-i) Subgroup analysis of comparing only users
A subgroup analysis of comparing only users is not uncommon in ehealth trials, but if done, it must be stressed that this is a self-selected sample and no longer an unbiased sample from a randomized trial (see 16-iii).
Does your paper address subitem 18-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 19? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study This was described in the paper with the results on the effectiveness of the intervention.

19-i) Include privacy breaches, technical problems
Include privacy breaches, technical problems. This does not only include physical "harm" to participants, but also incidents such as perceived or real privacy breaches Does your paper address subitem 19-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 22-i) Restate study questions and summarize the answers suggested by the data, starting with primary outcomes and process outcomes (use) Restate study questions and summarize the answers suggested by the data, starting with primary outcomes and process outcomes (use).
subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential 20) Trial limitations, addressing sources of potential bias, imprecision, and, if relevant, multiplicity of analyses Does your paper address subitem 22-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "This study investigated potential mediators of a guided Internet-based intervention for PLWH with depressive symptoms, compared to a control group that received attention only. Changes in behavioral activation and goal reengagement were found to be signi cant mediators of the intervention effect.
For changes in behavioral activation, the mediation effect seemed to occur between week 3 and 5 of the intervention and for changes in goal reengagement the mediation effect seemed to occur between week 1 and 3. The mediation effect of changes in behavioral activation seemed to be stronger than the effect of changes in goal reengagement since goal reengagement was not a signi cant mediator anymore when the model was controlled for behavioral activation.
Moreover, a return effect (from the dependent variable to the mediator) was found for goal reengagement and not for behavioral activation".

22-ii) Highlight unanswered new questions, suggest future research
Highlight unanswered new questions, suggest future research.
Does your paper address subitem 22-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study

20-i) Typical limitations in ehealth trials
Typical limitations in ehealth trials: Participants in ehealth trials are rarely blinded. Ehealth trials often look at a multiplicity of outcomes, increasing risk for a Type I error. Discuss biases due to nonuse of the intervention/usability issues, biases through informed consent procedures, unexpected events.
Does your paper address subitem 20-i? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "A weakness of this study is that the measurement of some mediators included the use of self-designed questionnaires with only a few items. The reliability of these questionnaires was mostly adequate, but the validity needs to be investigated. Only a few items were used, because the questionnaires were administered multiple times and it should not take too much time to complete them. Another weakness was that there was much drop-out during the study.
However, the drop-out rate was comparable to other studies regarding the effectiveness of Internet interventions (31, 32). No differences in demographic and HIV speci c (e.g. duration of HIV) characteristics were found between dropouts and completers in the current study (2), so probably attrition bias was not a problem. Finally, a selection of mediators was investigated in the current study.
Other mediators may also have an effect and may be assessed in future studies". Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer 21-ii) Discuss if there were elements in the RCT that would be different in a routine application setting Discuss if there were elements in the RCT that would be different in a routine application setting (e.g., prompts/reminders, more human involvement, training sessions or other co-interventions) and what impact the omission of these elements could have on use, adoption, or outcomes if the intervention is applied outside of a RCT setting.

21-i) Generalizability to other populations
Does your paper address subitem 21-ii?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study Your answer Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 23? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "Trial registration: Nederlands Trialregister NTR5407, September 11, 2015". 25) Sources of funding and other support (such as supply of drugs), role of funders X27) Con icts of Interest (not a CONSORT item) subitem not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 essential Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 24? * Cite a Multimedia Appendix, other reference, or copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "More information about the procedure of the RCT can be found elsewhere (1)".
Does your paper address CONSORT subitem 25? * Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study "Acknowledgements We would like to thank all patients and coaches that participated in the study. In addition, we thank all nursing consultants and doctors that recruited participants for the study. This study was supported by the Aidsfonds ( le number 2013027)".
X27-i) State the relation of the study team towards the system being evaluated In addition to the usual declaration of interests ( nancial or otherwise), also state the relation of the study team towards the system being evaluated, i.e., state if the authors/evaluators are distinct from or identical with the developers/sponsors of the intervention.
Does your paper address subitem X27-i?
Copy and paste relevant sections from the manuscript (include quotes in quotation marks "like this" to indicate direct quotes from your manuscript), or elaborate on this item by providing additional information not in the ms, or brie y explain why the item is not applicable/relevant for your study As a result of using this checklist, did you make changes in your manuscript? * What were the most important changes you made as a result of using this checklist?
Your answer How much time did you spend on going through the checklist INCLUDING making changes in your manuscript * 2,5 hours As a result of using this checklist, do you think your manuscript has improved? * Would you like to become involved in the CONSORT EHEALTH group?
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