Use of mobile apps and technologies in child and adolescent mental health: a systematic review

Punukollu, Mallika; Marques, Mafalda

doi:10.1136/ebmental-2019-300093

Cited by 62 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…First, few evidence-based digital interventions developed for clinical trials are publicly accessible [ 11 ], and those that are accessible attract far fewer users than commercially popular but untested alternatives (eg, Headspace) [ 12 ]. Indeed, the most frequently downloaded mental health apps include few to no treatment elements found in empirically supported psychotherapies [ 13 , 14 ]. Second, digital intervention attrition rates differ markedly in clinical trials and “real-world” contexts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptability and Utility of an Open-Access, Online Single-Session Intervention Platform for Adolescent Mental Health

et al. 2020

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Background Many youths with mental health needs are unable to access care. Single-session interventions (SSIs) have helped reduce youth psychopathology across multiple trials, promising to broaden access to effective, low-intensity supports. Online, self-guided SSIs may be uniquely scalable, particularly if they are freely available for as-needed use. However, the acceptability of online SSI and their efficacy have remained unexamined outside of controlled trials, and their practical utility is poorly understood. Objective We evaluated the perceived acceptability and proximal effects of Project YES (Youth Empowerment & Support), an open-access platform offering three online SSIs for youth internalizing distress. Methods After selecting one of three SSIs to complete, participants (ages 11-17 years) reported pre- and post-SSI levels of clinically relevant outcomes that SSIs may target (eg, hopelessness, self-hate) and perceived SSI acceptability. User-pattern variables, demographics, and depressive symptoms were collected to characterize youths engaging with YES. Results From September 2019 through March 2020, 694 youths accessed YES, 539 began, and 187 completed a 30-minute, self-guided SSI. SSI completers reported clinically elevated depressive symptoms, on average, and were diverse on several dimensions (53.75% non-white; 78.10% female; 43.23% sexual minorities). Regardless of SSI selection, completers reported pre- to post-program reductions in hopelessness (dav=0.53; dz=0.71), self-hate (dav=0.32; dz=0.61), perceived control (dav=0.60; dz=0.72) and agency (dav=0.39; dz=0.50). Youths rated all SSIs as acceptable (eg, enjoyable, likely to help peers). Conclusions Results support the perceived acceptability and utility of open-access, free-of-charge SSIs for youth experiencing internalizing distress. Trial Registration Open Science Framework; osf.io/e52p3

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptability and Utility of an Open-Access, Online Single-Session Intervention Platform for Adolescent Mental Health

et al. 2020

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“…Moreover, it has been reported that for many mental health apps information on the design and testing processes is not available [6]. The aim of the present paper is to describe the development and design process, while ongoing, of a new transdiagnostic mental health app for children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While it has been suggested that digital mental health interventions can be efficacious in both preventing and treating mental health problems in young people [4]- [6], recent systematic reviews also found that in comparison to the adult literature, research investigating the effectiveness of mobile interventions for young people is still lagging [6], [7]. Only a few apps have been designed and tested specifically for young people and especially children, thereby highlighting the evidence gap and limited availability of suitable digital interventions for this age group.…”

Section: Digital Mental Health Landscape For Youthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary Development of a Transdiagnostic Mobile App to Enhance Children’s Emotion Regulation: Sharing Insights and Lessons Learned

Moltrecht¹,

Patalay²,

Bear³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Digital interventions, including mobile apps represent promising means to provide effective mental health support to young people. Despite the increased availability of mental health apps, there is a significant gap for this age group, especially for younger children. Research investigating the effectiveness and development process of child mental health apps is limited, and the field faces persistent issues in relation to low user up-take and engagement, which is assumed to be a result of lackinginterdisciplinary approaches.Objective: We present the development and design process of a new mental health app for children that targets their emotion regulation abilities. We describe the creation of a new interdisciplinary development framework, to guide the design process, and explain how each activity informed different app features.Methods: The first two stages of the framework employed a variety of methods, including: 1) classroom observations, 2)public-engagement events with the target group (N=21), 3) synthesis of the existing evidence as part of a meta-analysis, 4) a series of co-design and participatory workshops with young users (N=33), clinicians (N=7), researchers (N=12), app developers (N=1) , designers (N=2), and lastly 5) testing of the first high-tech prototype (N=15).Results: For the interdisciplinary framework we drew on methods derived from the medical research council framework for complex interventions, the patient-clinician-framework and Druin’s cooperative inquiry. The classroom observations, public-engagement events, and synthesis of the existing evidence informed the first key pillars of the app and wireframes. Subsequently, a series of workshops shaped and reshaped the content and app features, including games, psychoeducational films, and practice modules. Based on the prototype testing sessions we made further adjustments to improve the app.Conclusions: Although mobile apps could be highly suitable to support young people’s mental health on a wider scale, there is little guidance on how these interventions could be designed. The involvement of the different methods and especially the young users was very valuable. We hope that the interdisciplinary framework and multiple methods that we applied will be helpful to others who are also aiming to develop suitable apps for young people.

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“…The digital health app space and scope continues to rapidly evolve, [17][18][19] with many new apps appearing as others disappear. As a group, however, the quality, features and attributes of the top apps we examined does not appear to be changing as quickly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal trends in the quality, effectiveness and attributes of highly rated smartphone health apps

Mercurio

Larsen

Wisniewski

et al. 2020

Evid Based Mental Health

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BackgroundWhile there are numerous mental health apps on the market today, less is known about their safety and quality. This study aims to offer a longitudinal perspective on the nature of high visibility apps for common mental health and physical health conditions.MethodsIn July 2019, we selected the 10 top search-returned apps in the Apple App Store and Android Google Play Store using six keyword terms: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, high blood pressure and diabetes. Each app was downloaded by two authors and reviewed by a clinician, and the app was coded for features, functionality, claims, app store properties, and other properties.ResultsCompared with 1 year prior, there were few statistically significant changes in app privacy policies, evidence and features. However, there was a high rate of turnover with only 34 (57%) of the apps from the Apple’s App Store and 28 (47%) from the Google Play Store remaining in the 2019 top 10 search compared with the 2018 search.DiscussionAlthough there was a high turnover of top search-returned apps between 2018 and 2019, we found that there were few significant changes in features, privacy, medical claims and other properties. This suggests that, although the highly visible and available apps are changing, there were no significant improvements in app quality or safety.

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Use of mobile apps and technologies in child and adolescent mental health: a systematic review

Cited by 62 publications

References 29 publications

Acceptability and Utility of an Open-Access, Online Single-Session Intervention Platform for Adolescent Mental Health

Acceptability and Utility of an Open-Access, Online Single-Session Intervention Platform for Adolescent Mental Health

Interdisciplinary Development of a Transdiagnostic Mobile App to Enhance Children’s Emotion Regulation: Sharing Insights and Lessons Learned

Longitudinal trends in the quality, effectiveness and attributes of highly rated smartphone health apps

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