For Publishers
DiscoveryMetadataPeer reviewHostingPublishing
For Researchers
JoinPublishReviewCollect
Register
Blog
About
Search
Advanced search
My ScienceOpen
Search
For Publishers
For Researchers
Blog
About
12
views
16
references
 Top references
cited by
44
    
0 reviews
 Review
0
comments
 Comment
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      245
      similar
       All similar
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Reviewing the data security and privacy policies of mobile apps for depression

      research-article

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPMC
      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

          Background

          Mobile apps have become popular resources for mental health support. Availability of information about developers' data security procedures for health apps, specifically those targeting mental health, has not been thoroughly investigated. If people are to use and trust these tools for their mental health, it is crucial we evaluate the transparency and quality around the data practices of these apps. The present study reviewed data security and privacy policies of mobile apps for depression.

          Methods

          We reviewed mobile apps retrieved from iTunes and Google Play stores in October 2017, using the term “depression”, and evaluated the transparency of data handling procedures of those apps.

          Results

          We identified 116 eligible mobile phone apps. Of those, 4% (5/116) received a transparency score of acceptable, 28% (32/116) questionable, and 68% (79/116) unacceptable. Only a minority of the apps (49%) had a privacy policy. The availability of policies differed significantly by platform, with apps from iTunes more likely to have a policy than from the Google Play store. Mobile apps collecting identifiable information were significantly more likely to have a privacy policy (79%) compared to those collecting only non-identifiable information (34%).

          Conclusion

          The majority of apps reviewed were not sufficiently transparent with information regarding data security. Apps have great potential to scale mental health resources, providing resources to people unable or reluctant to access traditional face-to-face care, or as an adjunct to treatment. However, if they are to be a reasonable resource, they must be safe, secure, and responsible.

          Highlights

          • •

            Fewer than half of mobile apps for depression have a privacy policy.

          • •

            Privacy policies were more common in apps that collect identifiable information.

          • •

            Most privacy policies are provided only after users enter data.

          • •

            Most privacy policies were deemed unacceptable at conveying security and privacy.

          Related collections

          Most cited references16

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: found
          Is Open Access

          Finding a Depression App: A Review and Content Analysis of the Depression App Marketplace

          Nelson Shen, Michael-Jane Levitan, Justin Andrew Johnson … (2015)
          Background Depression is highly prevalent and causes considerable suffering and disease burden despite the existence of wide-ranging treatment options. Mobile phone apps offer the potential to help close this treatment gap by confronting key barriers to accessing support for depression. Objectives Our goal was to identify and characterize the different types of mobile phone depression apps available in the marketplace. Methods A search for depression apps was conducted on the app stores of the five major mobile phone platforms: Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows. Apps were included if they focused on depression and were available to people who self-identify as having depression. Data were extracted from the app descriptions found in the app stores. Results Of the 1054 apps identified by the search strategy, nearly one-quarter (23.0%, 243/1054) unique depression apps met the inclusion criteria. Over one-quarter (27.7%, 210/758) of the excluded apps failed to mention depression in the title or description. Two-thirds of the apps had as their main purpose providing therapeutic treatment (33.7%, 82/243) or psychoeducation (32.1%, 78/243). The other main purpose categories were medical assessment (16.9%, 41/243), symptom management (8.2%, 20/243), and supportive resources (1.6%, 4/243). A majority of the apps failed to sufficiently describe their organizational affiliation (65.0%, 158/243) and content source (61.7%, 150/243). There was a significant relationship (χ 2 5=50.5, P<.001) between the main purpose of the app and the reporting of content source, with most medical assessment apps reporting their content source (80.5%, 33/41). A fifth of the apps featured an e-book (20.6%, 50/243), audio therapy (16.9%, 41/243), or screening (16.9%, 41/243) function. Most apps had a dynamic user interface (72.4%, 176/243) and used text as the main type of media (51.9%, 126/243), and over a third (14.4%, 35/243) incorporated more than one form of media. Conclusion Without guidance, finding an appropriate depression app may be challenging, as the search results yielded non-depression–specific apps to depression apps at a 3:1 ratio. Inadequate reporting of organization affiliation and content source increases the difficulty of assessing the credibility and reliability of the app. While certification and vetting initiatives are underway, this study demonstrates the need for standardized reporting in app stores to help consumers select appropriate tools, particularly among those classified as medical devices.
          Article 0 comments Cited 126 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: found
            Is Open Access

            Community Attitudes to the Appropriation of Mobile Phones for Monitoring and Managing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

            Judith Proudfoot, Gordon Parker, Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic … (2010)
            Background The benefits of self-monitoring on symptom severity, coping, and quality of life have been amply demonstrated. However, paper and pencil self-monitoring can be cumbersome and subject to biases associated with retrospective recall, while computer-based monitoring can be inconvenient in that it relies on users being at their computer at scheduled monitoring times. As a result, nonadherence in self-monitoring is common. Mobile phones offer an alternative. Their take-up has reached saturation point in most developed countries and is increasing in developing countries; they are carried on the person, they are usually turned on, and functionality is continually improving. Currently, however, public conceptions of mobile phones focus on their use as tools for communication and social identity. Community attitudes toward using mobile phones for mental health monitoring and self-management are not known. Objective The objective was to explore community attitudes toward the appropriation of mobile phones for mental health monitoring and management. Methods We held community consultations in Australia consisting of an online survey (n = 525), focus group discussions (n = 47), and interviews (n = 20). Results Respondents used their mobile phones daily and predominantly for communication purposes. Of those who completed the online survey, the majority (399/525 or 76%) reported that they would be interested in using their mobile phone for mental health monitoring and self-management if the service were free. Of the 455 participants who owned a mobile phone or PDA, there were no significant differences between those who expressed interest in the use of mobile phones for this purpose and those who did not by gender (χ21, = 0.98, P = .32, phi = .05), age group (χ24, = 1.95, P = .75, phi = .06), employment status (χ22, = 2.74, P = .25, phi = .08) or marital status (χ24, = 4.62, P = .33, phi = .10). However, the presence of current symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress affected interest in such a program in that those with symptoms were more interested (χ2 1, = 16.67, P < .001, phi = .19). Reasons given for interest in using a mobile phone program were that it would be convenient, counteract isolation, and help identify triggers to mood states. Reasons given for lack of interest included not liking to use a mobile phone or technology, concerns that it would be too intrusive or that privacy would be lacking, and not seeing the need. Design features considered to be key by participants were enhanced privacy and security functions including user name and password, ease of use, the provision of reminders, and the availability of clear feedback. Conclusions Community attitudes toward the appropriation of mobile phones for the monitoring and self-management of depression, anxiety, and stress appear to be positive as long as privacy and security provisions are assured, the program is intuitive and easy to use, and the feedback is clear.
            Article 0 comments Cited 116 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: found
              Is Open Access

              Smartphone Ownership and Interest in Mobile Applications to Monitor Symptoms of Mental Health Conditions

              John Torous, Rohn Friedman, Matcheri Keshavan (2014)
              Background Patient retrospective recollection is a mainstay of assessing symptoms in mental health and psychiatry. However, evidence suggests that these retrospective recollections may not be as accurate as data collection though the experience sampling method (ESM), which captures patient data in “real time” and “real life.” However, the difficulties in practical implementation of ESM data collection have limited its impact in psychiatry and mental health. Smartphones with the capability to run mobile applications may offer a novel method of collecting ESM data that may represent a practical and feasible tool for mental health and psychiatry. Objective This paper aims to provide data on psychiatric patients’ prevalence of smartphone ownership, patterns of use, and interest in utilizing mobile applications to monitor their mental health conditions. Methods One hundred psychiatric outpatients at a large urban teaching hospital completed a paper-and-pencil survey regarding smartphone ownership, use, and interest in utilizing mobile applications to monitor their mental health condition. Results Ninety-seven percent of patients reported owning a phone and 72% reported that their phone was a smartphone. Patients in all age groups indicated greater than 50% interest in using a mobile application on a daily basis to monitor their mental health condition. Conclusions Smartphone and mobile applications represent a practical opportunity to explore new modalities of monitoring, treatment, and research of psychiatric and mental health conditions.
              Article 0 comments Cited 109 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
                Bookmark
                All references

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Kristen O'Loughlin
                Journal
                Journal ID (nlm-ta): Internet Interv
                Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Internet Interv
                Title: Internet Interventions
                Publisher: Elsevier
                ISSN (Electronic): 2214-7829
                Publication date PMC-release: 20 December 2018
                Publication date Collection: March 2019
                Publication date (Electronic): 20 December 2018
                Volume: 15
                Pages: 110-115
                Affiliations
                [a ]Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychology, United States of America
                [b ]Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine, Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, United States of America
                [c ]University of California, Irvine, Department of Psychological Science, United States of America
                Author notes
                [* ]Corresponding author at: Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychology, 806 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23223, United States of America. oloughlink@ 123456mymail.vcu.edu
                Article
                Publisher ID: S2214-7829(18)30046-0
                DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2018.12.001
                PMC ID: 6371412
                PubMed ID: 30792962
                SO-VID: 3d68ab22-4a5d-4b61-ba2f-6ab0786304b5
                Copyright © © 2019 The Authors
                License:

                This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

                History
                Date received : 10 July 2018
                Date revision received : 18 October 2018
                Date accepted : 17 December 2018
                Categories
                Subject: Full length Article

                Keywords: depression,mental health,mobile apps,mhealth,review,data privacy
                Data availability:
                Keywords: depression, mental health, mobile apps, mhealth, review, data privacy

                Comments

                Comment on this article

                scite_

                Similar content245

                See all similar

                Cited by44

                See all cited by

                Most referenced authors144

                See all reference authors