ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2019
Mental Health Apps in China: Analysis and Quality Assessment.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluating Free Serious Game-Based Apps for Teaching Socio-Emotional Skills to Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Systematic Review of the Smartphone Markets.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Tools for Evaluating the Content, Efficacy, and Usability of Mobile Health Apps According to the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Pooled it
- A Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Intervention for Workplace Mental Health: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Trial
- Selecting and Evaluating Mobile Health Apps for the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative: Development of the eHealth Resource Checklist.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Trial
- Designing digital mental health interventions for older adults: a scoping review.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- Privacy Policy Compliance of Mobile Sports and Health Apps in China: Scale Development, Data Analysis, and Prospects for Regulatory Reform.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Exploring the Role of App Features in Providing Continuity of Care to Users on a Digital Mental Health Platform (Wysa): Retrospective Mixed Methods Observational Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
- Quality and Privacy Policy Compliance of Mental Health Care Apps in China: Cross-Sectional Evaluation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Evolving trends in psychiatric emergency services in Southern China: a seven-year retrospective analysis.International journal of emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Evolving role of the internet in China as a medium for promoting psychological well-being and mental health: a scoping review.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Review
- Depression Self-Care Apps' Characteristics and Applicability to Older Adults: Systematic Assessment.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Topic modeling and content analysis of people's anxiety-related concerns raised on a computer-mediated health platform.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- What Chinese Women Seek in Mental Health Apps: Insights from AnalyzingHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Quality assessment of mHealth apps: a scoping review.Frontiers in health services · 2024Article
- "I'm stressed!": The work effect of process innovation on mental health.SSM - population health · 2023Article
- Changes in Mobile Health Apps Usage Before and After the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: Semilongitudinal Survey.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2023Article
- Healthcare professionals' and patients' assessments of listed mobile health apps in China: a qualitative study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Article
- Preferences for a Mental Health Support Technology Among Chinese Employees: Mixed Methods Approach.JMIR human factors · 2022Article
- Public Trust in Artificial Intelligence Applications in Mental Health Care: Topic Modeling Analysis.JMIR human factors · 2022Article
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 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMental disorders have been a great burden on health care systems, affecting the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. Developing countries, including China, suffer from the double burden of both the increasing mental health issues in population and the deficiency in mental health care resources. The use of mobile health technologies, especially for mobile phone apps, can be a possible solution.
objectiveThis review aimed to describe the features and assess the quality of mental health apps in major mobile phone app markets in China and further discuss the priorities for mental health app development.
methodsKeywords including psychology, psychological health, psychological hygiene, psychological health service(s), mental, mental health, mental hygiene, mental health service(s), depression, and anxiety were searched in Chinese in 3 Android app markets (Baidu Mobile Assistant, Tencent MyApp, and 360 Mobile Assistant) and iOS App Store independently. Mental health apps were then selected according to established criteria for in-depth analysis and quality assessment by the Mobile App Rating Scale.
resultsIn total, 63 of 997 mental health apps were analyzed in depth, of which 78% (49/63) were developed by commercial entities for general population, 17% (11/63) were for patients or clients of specialized psychiatric hospitals or counseling agencies, 3% (2/63) were by government or local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for general information, and 2% (1/63) for students of a university. Major built-in features of the apps included counseling services, mental health education, and self-assessment of mental health status by validated self-rating scales. The overall quality score of the MH apps was acceptable.
conclusionsMental health apps are emerging in the area of mobile health in China. Popular mental health apps usually provide a synthetic platform organizing resources of information, knowledge, counseling services, self-tests, and management for the general population with mental health-related inquiries. The quality of the apps was rated as acceptable on average, suggesting some space for improvement. Official guidelines and regulations are urgently required for the field in the future.
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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.