52
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Using science to sell apps: Evaluation of mental health app store quality claims

      research-article

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Despite the emergence of curated app libraries for mental health apps, personal searches by consumers remain a common method for discovering apps. App store descriptions therefore represent a key channel to inform consumer choice. This study examined the claims invoked through these app store descriptions, the extent to which scientific language is used to support such claims, and the corresponding evidence in the literature. Google Play and iTunes were searched for apps related to depression, self-harm, substance use, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The descriptions of the top-ranking, consumer-focused apps were coded to identify claims of acceptability and effectiveness, and forms of supporting statement. For apps which invoked ostensibly scientific principles, a literature search was conducted to assess their credibility. Seventy-three apps were coded, and the majority (64%) claimed effectiveness at diagnosing a mental health condition, or improving symptoms, mood or self-management. Scientific language was most frequently used to support these effectiveness claims (44%), although this included techniques not validated by literature searches (8/24 = 33%). Two apps described low-quality, primary evidence to support the use of the app. Only one app included a citation to published literature. A minority of apps (14%) described design or development involving lived experience, and none referenced certification or accreditation processes such as app libraries. Scientific language was the most frequently invoked form of support for use of mental health apps; however, high-quality evidence is not commonly described. Improved knowledge translation strategies may improve the adoption of other strategies, such as certification or lived experience co-design.

          Related collections

          Most cited references15

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          The efficacy of smartphone-based mental health interventions for depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

          The rapid advances and adoption of smartphone technology presents a novel opportunity for delivering mental health interventions on a population scale. Despite multi-sector investment along with wide-scale advertising and availability to the general population, the evidence supporting the use of smartphone apps in the treatment of depression has not been empirically evaluated. Thus, we conducted the first meta-analysis of smartphone apps for depressive symptoms. An electronic database search in May 2017 identified 18 eligible randomized controlled trials of 22 smartphone apps, with outcome data from 3,414 participants. Depressive symptoms were reduced significantly more from smartphone apps than control conditions (g=0.38, 95% CI: 0.24-0.52, p<0.001), with no evidence of publication bias. Smartphone interventions had a moderate positive effect in comparison to inactive controls (g=0.56, 95% CI: 0.38-0.74), but only a small effect in comparison to active control conditions (g=0.22, 95% CI: 0.10-0.33). Effects from smartphone-only interventions were greater than from interventions which incorporated other human/computerized aspects along the smartphone component, although the difference was not statistically significant. The studies of cognitive training apps had a significantly smaller effect size on depression outcomes (p=0.004) than those of apps focusing on mental health. The use of mood monitoring softwares, or interventions based on cognitive behavioral therapy, or apps incorporating aspects of mindfulness training, did not affect significantly study effect sizes. Overall, these results indicate that smartphone devices are a promising self-management tool for depression. Future research should aim to distil which aspects of these technologies produce beneficial effects, and for which populations.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: not found
            • Article: not found

            Clinical review of user engagement with mental health smartphone apps: evidence, theory and improvements

              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: not found
              Is Open Access

              Can smartphone mental health interventions reduce symptoms of anxiety? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

              Various psychological interventions are effective for reducing symptoms of anxiety when used alone, or as an adjunct to anti-anxiety medications. Recent studies have further indicated that smartphone-supported psychological interventions may also reduce anxiety, although the role of mobile devices in the treatment and management of anxiety disorders has yet to be established.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                +61 2 938 28508 , mark.larsen@blackdog.org.au
                Journal
                NPJ Digit Med
                NPJ Digit Med
                NPJ Digital Medicine
                Nature Publishing Group UK (London )
                2398-6352
                22 March 2019
                22 March 2019
                2019
                : 2
                : 18
                Affiliations
                [1 ]ISNI 0000 0004 4902 0432, GRID grid.1005.4, Black Dog Institute, , University of New South Wales, ; Sydney, NSW Australia
                [2 ]ISNI 0000 0001 2299 3507, GRID grid.16753.36, Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, , Northwestern University, ; Chicago, IL USA
                [3 ]ISNI 000000041936754X, GRID grid.38142.3c, Division of Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, , Harvard Medical School, ; Boston, MA USA
                [4 ]ISNI 0000 0004 4902 0432, GRID grid.1005.4, Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, , University of New South Wales, ; Sydney, NSW Australia
                Article
                93
                10.1038/s41746-019-0093-1
                6550255
                31304366
                0850a602-0025-4aeb-97ca-f4a026ae47eb
                © The Author(s) 2019

                Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

                History
                : 15 October 2018
                : 25 February 2019
                Categories
                Article
                Custom metadata
                © The Author(s) 2019

                translational research,psychiatric disorders,public health

                Comments

                Comment on this article