Background Self-harm is a growing issue with increasing prevalence rates; however, individuals who self-harm do not often receive treatment. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions are a possible solution to some of the barriers that individuals face when seeking support, and they have also been found to be effective in improving mental health. Thus far, reviews of mHealth interventions for self-harm have been limited by study type. Therefore, we determined that a broader scoping review will provide a more exhaustive understanding of mHealth interventions for self-harm. Objective This scoping review aims to identify mHealth interventions for self-harm within the literature, understand the types and features of interventions that have been developed and evaluated, highlight research findings around mHealth interventions for self-harm, and determine what outcomes are typically used to assess the efficacy of interventions. Methods A search was conducted using Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycEXTRA, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Studies were included if they described an mHealth intervention designed to have a direct (ie, if the intervention was designed for self-harm or for people who self-harm) or indirect (ie, if self-harm was measured as an outcome) treatment effect and if the paper was available in English. There were no exclusion criteria based on the study design. Results A total of 36 papers were included in the review, and most of them were randomized controlled trials published within the last 4 years. The interventions were mostly smartphone apps and calling or texting services, with 62% (21/34) having underlying therapeutic models to inform the intervention content. They were generally shown to be promising and appealing, but only 5 were widely available for use. Outcomes focused on a reduction of self-harm and suicidality, mood, and the users’ experiences of the intervention. Samples were typically nondiverse, and there was limited variety in the study designs and in the measurements of self-harm recovery. Conclusions Promising and appealing mHealth interventions have been developed but are not widely available. Research could benefit from greater diversity as well as a broader and more nuanced understanding of recovery from self-harm.

IntroductionA mobile app, BlueIce, was codesigned with young people with a history of self-harm to provide them with more accessible and available evidence-based support at times of distress. A preliminary evaluation found that BlueIce was acceptable, safe and used by young people and helped to reduce self-harm. The present study is designed to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of adding BlueIce to usual Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).Methods and analysisThis study is a single-blind, randomised controlled trial comparing usual CAMHS care with usual care plus BlueIce. A total of 138 adolescents aged 12–17 with current or a history of self-harm will be recruited through the Oxford Health National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust via their CAMHS clinician. The primary outcome is self-harm at 12 weeks assessed using the Risk Taking and Self-Harm Inventory for Adolescents. Secondary outcomes include mood, anxiety, hopelessness, general behaviour, sleep and impact on everyday life at 12 weeks and 6 months. Health-related quality of life and healthcare resource utilisation data will be collected at baseline, 12 weeks and 6 months. Postuse interviews at 12 weeks will determine the acceptability, safety and usability of BlueIce.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the NHS South Central—Oxford B NHS Research Ethics Committee (19/SC/0212) and by the Health Research Authority (HRA) and Health and Care Research Wales. Findings will be disseminated in peer review open-access journals and at academic conferences.Trial registration numberISRCTN10541045.

Despite the recent proliferation of mental health apps, few have directly focused on the prevention of self‐harm. The available apps are described and the limited, although encouraging, outcome data are summarised. The design, content and initial outcome of the only app developed specifically for adolescents, BlueIce, is presented.

BACKGROUND Self-harm is a growing issue, for which individuals do not often receive treatment. mHealth interventions are a possible solution to some of the barriers individual face when seeking support that have also been found to be effective in improving mental health. Reviews of mHealth interventions for self-harm thus far have had limiting exclusion criteria, so a broader scoping review will provide a more exhaustive understanding of mHealth interventions that have been developed for self-harm. OBJECTIVE This scoping review aimed to (1) identify the mHealth interventions that have been developed for self-harm, (2) understand the types and features of interventions that have been developed, (3) establish the evidence base for mHealth interventions for self-harm, and (4) determine what outcomes are typically used to assess the efficacy of interventions. METHODS A search was conducted using Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycEXTRA, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Studies were included if it described an mHealth intervention that may have had a treatment effect on self-harm either directly or indirectly, and if it was available in English. There were no exclusion criteria based on study design. RESULTS A total of 36 papers were included in the review, that were mostly randomised control trials published within the last four years. The interventions were mostly smartphone applications or calling/texting services. They were generally shown to be effective and appealing, but very few were widely available for use. Outcomes typically focussed on a reduction of self-harm, as well as suicidality, mood, and the users’ experiences of the intervention. Samples were typically non-diverse, and there was limited variety in study designs or in measurements of self-harm recovery. CONCLUSIONS Effective and appealing mHealth interventions have been developed but are not widely available. Research could also benefit from greater diversity, as well as a broader and more nuanced understanding of recovery from self-harm.

No abstract