Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: May 15, 2023
Date Accepted: Oct 21, 2023
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited.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.
Self-guided Mental Health Apps targeting Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: A Scoping Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
The use of mental health apps (MHAs) is rapidly increasing. However, little is known about the use of MHAs among racial and ethnic minority (R&EM).
Objective:
In this study we aim to (1) examine the acceptability of MHAs among racial/ethnic minorities; (2) examine the effectiveness of MHAs with racial/ethnic minorities; (3) describe the purposes of using MHAs in racial/ethnic minorities; (4) identify the barriers to MHA usage within racial/ethnic minorities; and (5) identify the gaps in the literature.
Methods:
A systematic search was conducted on March 30th, 2022, using Web of Science, EMBASE, PsychINFO, PsychArticles, PsychExtra and MEDLINE. Articles were quality appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and data was extracted and summarised to form a narrative synthesis.
Results:
Twelve publications met the inclusion criteria. Studies were primarily conducted in the United States of America and the MHAs designed for R&EMs included ¡Aptívate!, Ibobbly,, AIMhi- Y, BRAVE and BYOTS. The MHAs were predominantly informed by cognitive behaviour therapy and focused on reducing depressive symptoms. MHAs were seen as acceptable for R&EMs, however engagement rates dropped over time. Only one study quantitatively reported the effectiveness of MHAs among R&EMs. Barriers to usage included repetitiveness of the MHAs, privacy concerns and technical issues.
Conclusions:
Considering the growing interest in MHAs, the available evidence for MHAs for R&EMs appears limited. Although acceptability seems consistent, more research is needed to support effectiveness. Future research should also prioritise studies to explore the specific needs of R&EMs if MHAs are to be successfully adopted. Clinical Trial: n/a
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