ReviewJournal of technology in behavioral science2021
Leveraging Implementation Science to Understand Factors Influencing Sustained Use of Mental Health Apps: a Narrative Review.
Review in Journal of technology in behavioral science, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 3 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
44 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled 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
- Determination of Markers of Successful Implementation of Mental Health Apps for Young People: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Strategies for Implementing Occupational eMental Health Interventions: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Guideline
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of the FOCUS ADHD App in monitoring adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023Trial
- Piloting a Digital App Based on the Friendship Bench for Depression and Anxiety in Palestine: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Toward hybrid mental health care: an early health technology assessment based on stakeholder analysis and economic simulations.International journal of technology assessment in health care · 2026Article
- "Technology is Amazing… But Right Now, I Just Don't Know": Real-world Implementation Experiences and Adaptation Recommendations for Message-based Care in Community Mental Health.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of the SAGIP mental health mobile application for the academic community: a longitudinal study.Npj mental health research · 2026Article
- The long road to routine care: piloting the digital mental health intervention for PTSD "Radius Grow" in a psychiatric residential setting.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Addressing the Psychological Needs of Adolescents During the Wait Time for Mental Health Treatment: Service Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Mental Health Professionals' Views on Gaming to Inform Game-Based Interventions: Qualitative Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- A Complex Digital Health Intervention to Support People With HIV: Organizational Readiness Survey Study and Preimplementation Planning for a Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Navigating the Digital Landscape for Potential Use of Mental Health Apps in Clinical Practice: Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Article
- Implementing Digital Mental Health Tools in the Public Behavioral Health Systems: A Multi-City/County Evaluation of California's Help@Hand Project.Research square · 2025Article
- Facilitators and barriers to implementing mental health apps among interdisciplinary staff in the Veterans Health Administration.Psychological services · 2025Article
- Digital Health Interventions for Depression and Anxiety in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Rapid Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Rethinking and reclaiming psychiatry.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Acceptance of a mental health app (JoyPopFrontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Assessing the Usage and Usability of a Mental Health Advice Telephone Service in Uganda: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mental health (MH) smartphone applications (apps), which can aid in self-management of conditions such as depression and anxiety, have demonstrated dramatic growth over the past decade. However, their effectiveness and potential for sustained use remain uncertain. This narrative review leverages implementation science theory to explore factors influencing MH app uptake. The review is guided by the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework and discusses the role of the innovation, its recipients, context, and facilitation in influencing successful implementation of MH apps. The review highlights critical literature published between 2015 and 2020 with a focus on depression and anxiety apps. Sources were identified via PubMed, Google Scholar, and Twitter using a range of keywords pertaining to MH apps. Findings suggest that for apps to be successful, they must be advantageous over alternative tools, relatively easy to navigate, and aligned with users' needs, skills, and resources. Significantly more attention must be paid to the complex contexts in which MH app implementation is occurring in order to refine facilitation strategies. The evidence base is still uncertain regarding the effectiveness and usability of MH apps, and much can be learned from the apps we use daily; namely, simpler is better and plans to integrate full behavioral treatments into smartphone form may be misguided. Non-traditional funding mechanisms that are nimble, responsive, and encouraging of industry partnerships will be necessary to move the course of MH app development in the right direction.
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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.