Abstract
BackgroundMental health disorders in youth are a global issue that have important implications for the future quality of life and morbidity of affected individuals. In the context of public health initiatives, smartphone-based interventions have been suggested to hold the potential to be an effective strategy to reduce the symptoms of mental health disorders in youth; however, further evaluation is needed to confirm their effectiveness. This systematic review and meta-analysis documents and synthesizes existing research on smartphone-based interventions targeting internalizing disorders in youth populations.ObjectiveThis study aims to synthesize existing research on smartphone-based interventions targeting internalizing disorders in youth populations.MethodsPubMed and SCOPUS were searched in 2019, and 4334 potentially relevant articles were found. A total of 12 studies were included in the final synthesis. We used the Hedges g meta-analysis approach and a random effects model for analysis.ResultsThe results of this review note that depression and anxiety are the most commonly targeted symptoms, and unlike other similar topics, most studies reviewed were linked to a proven treatment. The overall pooled effect from the meta-analysis showed small but significant effects (κ=12; N=1370; Hedges g=0.20; 95% CI 0.02-0.38) for interventions in reducing the symptoms of internalizing disorders. In total, 4 subgroup analyses examining specific symptoms and intervention styles found varied small significant and nonsignificant effects.ConclusionsFuture research should focus on developing robust evaluative frameworks and examining interventions among more diverse populations and settings. More robust research is needed before smartphone-based interventions are scaled up and used at the population level to address youth internalizing disorders.
Highlights
Between 10% and 20% of children and adolescents experience mental illness, with approximately half of all mental illnesses known to begin by the age of 14 years [1]
The overall pooled effect from the meta-analysis showed small but significant effects (κ=12; N=1370; Hedges g=0.20; 95% CI 0.02-0.38) for interventions in reducing the symptoms of internalizing disorders
At present, the screening and support for youth mental health issues in many primary health care systems continue to be inadequate, as even optimistic estimates suggest that only 50% of illnesses are detected by doctors [3]
Summary
Between 10% and 20% of children and adolescents experience mental illness, with approximately half of all mental illnesses known to begin by the age of 14 years [1]. At present, the screening and support for youth mental health issues in many primary health care systems continue to be inadequate, as even optimistic estimates suggest that only 50% of illnesses are detected by doctors [3]. New and innovative strategies are needed to help address mental health issues in youth. Smartphone-based interventions have been increasingly employed to track symptoms and provide support for individuals on a range of related health issues, such as concussions [4]. Mental health disorders in youth are a global issue that have important implications for the future quality of life and morbidity of affected individuals. In the context of public health initiatives, smartphone-based interventions have been suggested to hold the potential to be an effective strategy to reduce the symptoms of mental health disorders in youth; further evaluation is needed to confirm their effectiveness. This systematic review and meta-analysis documents and synthesizes existing research on smartphone-based interventions targeting internalizing disorders in youth populations
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