A review of popular smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: Assessing the inclusion of evidence-based content
| Autor: | Katherine E. Venturo-Conerly, John R. Weisz, Rebecca M. Shingleton, Akash R. Wasil |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
050103 clinical psychology
Mindfulness Evidence-based practice medicine.medical_treatment Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Anxiety 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine mental disorders medicine Psychoeducation Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences mHealth Depression (differential diagnoses) Depression Cognitive restructuring 05 social sciences Mental health Mobile Applications Psychiatry and Mental health Clinical Psychology Evidence-Based Practice Smartphone medicine.symptom Psychology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Clinical psychology |
| Zdroj: | Behaviour research and therapy. 123 |
| ISSN: | 1873-622X |
| Popis: | Smartphone applications for the treatment of depression and anxiety have acquired millions of users, yet little is known about whether they include evidence-based therapeutic content. We examined the extent to which popular mental health applications (MH apps) for depression and anxiety contain treatment elements found in empirically supported psychotherapy protocols (i.e., “common elements”). Of the 27 MH apps reviewed, 23 included at least one common element, with a median of three elements. Psychoeducation (in 52% of apps), relaxation (44%), meditation (41%), mindfulness (37%), and assessment (37%) were the most frequent elements, whereas several elements (e.g., problem solving) were not found in any apps. We also identified gaps between app content and empirically supported treatments. Cognitive restructuring was more common in depression protocols than in depression apps (75% of protocols vs. 31% of apps), as was problem solving (34% vs. 0%). For anxiety, exposure (85%, 12%), cognitive restructuring (60%, 12%), and problem solving (25%, 0%) were more common in protocols than apps. Overall, our findings highlight empirically supported treatment elements that are poorly represented in current MH apps. The absence of several core treatment elements underscores the need for future research, including randomized trials testing the effectiveness of popular MH apps. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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