Stress Management in Life (SMILE)
Daily Coping Toolkit Manual
Kent Clinical Affective Science Lab
Phone: 330-672-0586, Email: caslab@kent.edu
Study Title: Stress Management in Life (SMILE)
Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study will be to examine the impact of a brief
intervention on mood and stress and better understand the stressors facing new mothers.
Daily Coping Toolkit (DCT) Manual: This manual will explain how to participate in the study.
It will provide I) a general overview of the study and II) answer some frequently asked questions
(FAQs).
Overview of the study
Thank you for participating in the Stress Management in Life (SMILE) study! We really
appreciate your time and attention. Over the next couple weeks, you will receive access to the
Daily Coping Toolkit and be prompted to complete a few surveys! You will complete all study
activities on your smartphone through the ExpiWell app (https://www.expiwell.com/). All
components of the study are outlined in the photo below.
Every time a survey or toolkit is available to complete, you should receive a notification to your
device.
Surveys: There are three surveys to complete throughout your participation- one at the
beginning, the middle and the end of the study. Each survey will be open for 2 days (12 am to
11:59 pm the following day) to ensure flexibility and accessibility in completing them.
There will be three links:
1) contains the actual survey with questions about you and your baby;
2) a link to submit a video response recording yourself telling us about how things are going
3) a link to submit your second video response recording your baby as you play peekaboo 😊
We have set up the links like this so you can complete them when it is most convenient for
you! BUT - We ask that you try to complete the surveys and video links within 24 hours of
receiving them
The Video links will allow you to show us how you and your baby are doing. For each link you
will be able to use a simple video capture.
Here are some instructions to remember:
1. Take a moment to prepare before you hit record, if the video is for you to tell us how you
are doing - or – for you and your baby to play peekaboo you probably need a couple of
minutes to set up so you can be successful.
2. Make sure that if its your video – your face is in the frame. If it is your baby – their face
is in the frame.
3. When playing peekaboo. Use the phone as the thing to hide behind… this way it is
recording the whole interaction with the camera facing your child.
Daily Coping Toolkit (DCT): In between the surveys, you will have access to a 7-day Daily
Coping Toolkit activity. These will be available to complete once a day between 10 am and 4
pm.
Each DCT includes three parts and won’t take more than 5 minutes to complete
Part 1: Experiences Diary – we ask you to tell us a bit about what you have been struggling with
that day
Part 2: Stress reduction activities, including distancing yourself from events and relaxation
breathing
Part 3: Thinking positive activities that help you remember what you care about and value which
helps to bring forward positive moods
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Why am I not getting notifications from Expiwell?
a. To receive notifications from Expiwell, please ensure that your phone’s settings allow
notifications from the app. As a secondary check, please also make sure both your
phone and the app are up to date.
2. I received one of the following errors when uploading my video in the Qualtrics survey.
What do I do?
a. I received an error uploading my video after clicking the check mark. Don’t worry!
This may happen sometimes. You may also experience a delay in your video
uploading due to a variety of reasons (e.g., poor internet connection). Please just give
your phone a second and retry the upload. Sometimes closing out of other apps may
help free up some space.
b. I received an error that says “Too many successful submissions” when submitting my
emotion ratings in the video Qualtrics survey. Sometimes, if you respond too quickly
and submit the ratings, the Qualtrics survey will lag. Please wait a few seconds before
trying to submit again. It should go through!
3. I clicked on the survey link but cannot complete the survey right now. What should I do?
a. If you already opened the link: Try to finish the survey now. If you close the browser
window before finishing, you may lose access to that survey
b. If you clicked on the signal/notification by mistake but haven’t opened the link yet:
Close your main Expiwell app. Do not click the survey link itself. The survey will
stay available in the app until the deadline passes.
c. How long do I have? Each survey is scheduled for 48 hours (from 12 am on day 1
until 11:59 pm on day 2). Once you complete and submit the survey the notification
will disappear. For example, you complete a Monday survey on Monday morning,
you are done for the rest of Monday and Tuesday!
4. How loud is the ringer from Expiwell? What should I do if I’m at work?
a. The loudness of the ringer is determined by the volume you set for your device. We
ask that you not turn the sound off. However, if it is necessary to do so, you could set
your phone to vibrate mode. Please keep your device where you can see it go off
throughout the duration of the study. Remember, you also have the option to delay
your response, but please ensure you complete it before it expires (e.g., at the end of
day).
5. I accidentally signed out from the Expiwell app, what should I do?
a. Please sign back in to the app using the username and password you created
6. When do I stop responding to Expiwell?
a. You will respond to notifications from Expiwell for the next 20 days. The research
team will contact you every couple of days during the diary portion of the study to ensure that there are no problems. We will also inform you when you don’t have to
respond to the diaries anymore.
7. Why do I need an e-mail for Expiwell?
a. The app developers require participants to have an email address for authentication
purposes in order to ensure information security.
8. Does Expiwell require a lot of resources from my phone?
a. No the app’s memory usage is miniaml (typically less than 5 MB). Data usage is also
minimal and typically only uses a couple MB of data
If you have any questions or concerns that were not answered through this manual, please reach
out to us by emailing us at caslab@kent.edu or giving us a call at 330-672-0586.
One last thing…
If you are struggling and need help. Here are some great resources that can help:
• 988- National Suicide Hotline
• National Screening tools (e.g., Mental Health America Screening
Center https://arc.mhanational.org/screening-resources)
https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-therapy-4691206)
• National online treatment sources that have been vetted by experts
(e.g., National Alliance for Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/findsupport/)
• In person referral sources that can be searched by zip code (e.g., Local providers through
Thank you so much for your participation in the Stress Management in Life (SMILE)
Study. We greatly appreciate your time and effort!