Abstract
Background: Research increasingly shows how selective and targeted use of technology within care and welfare can have several advantages including improved quality of care and active user involvement.Purpose: The current overview of reviews aims to summarize the research on the effectiveness of technology for mental health and wellbeing. The goal is to highlight and structure the diverse combinations of technologies and interventions used so far, rather than to summarize the effectiveness of singular approaches.Methods: The current overview includes reviews published in the past five years with a focus on effectiveness of digital and technological interventions targeting mental health and wellbeing.Results: A total of 246 reviews could be included. All reviews examined the effectiveness of digital and technological interventions in the context of care and welfare. A combination of two taxonomies was created through qualitative analysis, based on the retrieved interventions and technologies in the reviews. Review classification shows a predominance of reviews on psychotherapeutic interventions using computers and smartphones. It is furthermore shown that when smartphone applications as stand-alone technology are researched, the primary focus is on self-help, and that extended reality is the most researched emerging technology to date.Conclusion: This overview of reviews shows that a wide range of interventions and technologies, with varying focus and target populations, have been studied in the field of care and wellbeing. The current overview of reviews is a first step to add structure to this rapidly changing field and may guide both researchers and clinicians in further exploring the evidence-base of particular approaches.
Highlights
Within the broad field of healthcare and welfare a wide range of services are offered which are aimed at promoting the wellbeing and mental health of individuals
While the context and target populations can vary substantially, professionals in this field share many interventions which often rely on face-to-face interactions
Articles were included if they were systematic reviews, metaanalyses, scoping reviews, or overviews of reviews with an exclusive focus on the efficacy of technological tools or interventions in the context of mental health, wellbeing, or quality of life
Summary
Within the broad field of healthcare and welfare a wide range of services are offered which are aimed at promoting the wellbeing and mental health of individuals. New technologies can allow for more flexibility, can offer interventions in the natural context, can reach a larger population without risk of stigma, and can be more cost-effective as compared to existing services [1, 2]. Research increasingly shows how selective and targeted use of technology can have a meaningful impact on the quality of care and the role users can take in the organization and delivery of services [3]. Research increasingly shows how selective and targeted use of technology within care and welfare can have several advantages including improved quality of care and active user involvement. Purpose: The current overview of reviews aims to summarize the research on the effectiveness of technology for mental health and wellbeing. The goal is to highlight and structure the diverse combinations of technologies and interventions used so far, rather than to summarize the effectiveness of singular approaches
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