Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jan 7, 2021
Date Accepted: Apr 29, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
A Systematic Review of Suicide Prevention Apps for User Engagement and Usability
ABSTRACT
Background:
People with suicidal thoughts are more inclined to seek technology-delivered interventions than in-person forms of treatment, making mobile apps for suicide prevention an ideal platform for treatment delivery.
Objective:
This review examines apps designed for suicide prevention, with a specific focus on user engagement.
Methods:
All apps referring to suicidal thoughts and behaviors were identified in Google Play and iOS app stores and were systematically reviewed for app content and quality. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) was used to evaluate app usability and engagement.
Results:
A total of 66 apps were identified. Most (64.0%) were designed specifically for people with suicidal ideation, whereas 89.3% had at least one best practice feature for suicide risk reduction and 83.3% scored in the “acceptable” range according to the MARS. The total MARS score was not associated with the user app rating or the number of features.
Conclusions:
Only free apps were systematically evaluated, potentially limiting the breadth of this review. It is unclear how frequently these apps are used, whether they are reaching target audiences, or most importantly, if they are effective at reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Citation
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Copyright
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