Trial reportPsychological services2019
Behavioral and cognitive intervention strategies delivered via coached apps for depression: Pilot trial.
Trial report in Psychological services, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between user engagement and clinical outcomes in smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychiatry research · 2026Pooled it
- Acceptability of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Race, Ethnicity, and Other Cultural Background Factors in Trials of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- App-Based Interventions for Moderate to Severe Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Assessing Patient Adherence to and Engagement With Digital Interventions for Depression in Clinical Trials: Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of stand-alone digital mental health applications for anxiety and depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of psychiatric research · 2023Pooled it
- Internet-Based Behavioral Activation for Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of computer- and/or internet-based cognitive-behavioral guided self-management for depression in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Characteristics of Mobile Health Platforms for Depression and Anxiety: Content Analysis Through a Systematic Review of the Literature and Systematic Search of Two App Stores.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Among Patients With Major Depression: Systematic Review of Health Implications.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Pooled it
- Behavioural activation therapy for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Methodological Challenges in Randomized Controlled Trials on Smartphone-Based Treatment in Psychiatry: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- Brief Web-Based Psychological Intervention for Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Adolescents: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Trial
- Long-Term Effectiveness of Unguided Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder in Chinese Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial With a 12-Month Follow-Up.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Trial
- Application of the Supportive Accountability Model in Digital Health Interventions: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- The EmpkinS-EKSpression Reappraisal Training Augmented With Kinesthesia in Depression: One-Armed Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in clinical trials of mental health apps.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- User-Centered Design of a Gamified Mental Health App for Adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa: Multicycle Usability Testing Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Efficacy, Safety, and Evaluation Criteria of mHealth Interventions for Depression: Systematic Review.JMIR mental health · 2023Review
- Long-Term Efficacy of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Self-Help Programs for Adults With Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR mental health · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Depression is common in primary care settings, but barriers prevent many primary care patients from initiating treatment. Smartphone apps stand as a possible means to overcome such barriers. However, there is limited evidence to understand the use and efficacy of these apps. The purpose of the current study was to pilot an evaluation of the usage and efficacy of apps for depression based upon behavioral or cognitive intervention skills, compared to a wait-list control. Thirty adults with depression were randomized to the use of either a behavioral app (Boost Me) or a cognitive app (Thought Challenger) or to a wait-list control. Boost Me and Thought Challenger participants received 6 weeks of the respective intervention along with weekly coaching sessions, with a 4-week follow-up period; wait-list control participants received no interventions for 10 weeks. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine depression over time and across treatment groups; t tests compared app usage across groups. Depression scores changed significantly over time (p < .001), with group differences occurring between Thought Challenger and wait-list control participants (p = .03). Boost Me was used significantly more than was Thought Challenger (p = .02); however, there was no evidence to suggest correlations between usage and changes in depression (ps > .05). The present study provides initial support that intervention strategies for depression delivered via apps with human support can impact symptoms and may promote continued use over 6 weeks. This pilot also demonstrates the feasibility of future research regarding the delivery of behavioral and cognitive intervention strategies via apps. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.