JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Over the past decade, there has been growing support for the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve the availability of mental health assessments and interventions. While mHealth is a promising tool for improving access to intervention, research on the effectiveness and efficacy of mHealth apps for youth is limited, particularly for underrepresented populations, including youth of color and economically marginalized youth.

Objective:

This study sought to evaluate the following research questions: 1) What is the extent of the current literature on mHealth apps that provide assessment and/or intervention for mental health problems in children and adolescents? 2) What is known from the existing literature about the effectiveness or efficacy of delivering mental health services via mHealth apps? 3) What are the gaps in the knowledge base in the fields of technology and mental health? 4) Do the reviewed mHealth apps address issues of cultural sensitivity and/or have they been tested with underrepresented groups (i.e., youth of color or economically marginalized groups)?

Methods:

An electronic database search was conducted using relevant search terms. Seven independent reviewers screened identified studies, including title and abstract review to determine if studies met the following inclusion criteria: 1) targeted samples with mental health symptomology or disorders, 2) studied youth participants, ages 6 – 17 years old, and 3) examined use of a mobile app-based platform for assessment and/or intervention. Relevant studies were subjected to full-text review to extract and chart relevant data based on a priori research questions.

Results:

The initial database search yielded 304 articles published from 2010 to 2021. After screening and selection, the final review included 11 articles on the effectiveness and efficacy of mental health interventions or assessment apps for youth ages 6 to 17 years. Identified apps targeted a broad range of youth mental health challenges (i.e., depression, self-harm, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder). Results identified only a small number of studies, suggesting that current effectiveness and efficacy research in this area is limited. While some studies provided general support for the effectiveness of mHealth apps on improving youth mental health outcomes, several notable limitations were present across the literature, reducing the generalizability of findings. Additionally, considerations around racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity were scarce across studies.

Conclusions:

Although some studies cited in this scoping review provide support for the effectiveness and efficacy of mHealth apps targeting youth mental health concerns, the overall body of literature remains quite limited. Moreover, mHealth apps expressly developed to be culturally responsive are almost non-existent. Further efforts are needed to recruit youth who are typically underrepresented in research, and to invite stakeholder participation and collaborative input in early stages of the mHealth app development process.