JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Generation Z (Gen Z; individuals born between 1995-2012) experience high rates of anxiety and depression. Most Gen Z identify with being religious and/or spiritual, and aspects from religions and spirituality can be integrated into mental health treatment and care as both are related to lower levels of depression [1]. However, research on Gen Z spiritual and mental health is sparse. To date, no systematic or scoping reviews on digital approaches to Gen Z spiritual and mental health exist.

Objective:

The purpose of the scoping review was to describe the current state of digital approaches to address spiritual and mental health among Gen Z, identify the knowledge gaps, and make suggestions for how to leverage digital spiritual and mental health interventions for Gen Z.

Methods:

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Education Full Text, Google Scholar, SocIndex, and Sociological Abstracts. Inclusion criteria for articles included: 1) study population born between 1995-2012 (i.e., Gen Z); 2) reported on spiritual health/well-being, spirituality or religion, and mental health/well-being; 3) reported on using digital approaches; 4) published in 1996 and beyond; 5) human subjects research; and 6) full-text article was available in English. Two authors screened articles and subsequently extracted data from the included articles to describe the available evidence.

Results:

A total of 243 articles were screened at the title and abstract level, of which 18 were further assessed at full text for eligibility. Three articles were identified for inclusion and data was extracted to summarize study characteristics and findings. The studies occurred across three different countries and each had a different design: one mixed-methods (South Africa), one cross-sectional study (China), and one randomized controlled trial (U.S.).

Conclusions:

Few studies have focused on assessing Gen Z spiritual and mental health in the digital context, and no research to date has examined a digital spiritual and mental health application among Gen Z. Research is needed to inform the development and evaluation of approaches to address Gen Z spiritual and mental health via digital means (e.g., mobile applications).