ArticleInternational journal of behavioral medicine2021
Stay Present with Your Phone: A Systematic Review and Standardized Rating of Mindfulness Apps in European App Stores.
Article in International journal of behavioral medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 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.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Scope, Characteristics, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Conversational Agents for Mental Health and Well-Being: Systematic Assessment of Apps.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Mobile Apps for the Management of Gastrointestinal Diseases: Systematic Search and Evaluation Within App Stores.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Mindfulness-based interventions for medication adherence: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.Journal of psychosomatic research · 2021Pooled it
- Virtual reality-based mindfulness applications: a commercial health app review.BMJ health & care informatics · 2026Review
- Engagement With Meditation Apps: Cross-Sectional Survey of Use and Associations.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Dose-response effects of reported meditation practice on mental-health and wellbeing: A prospective longitudinal study.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2025Article
- A New Mobile App to Train Attention Processes in People With Traumatic Brain Injury: Logical and Ecological Content Validation Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- The Mindful Way From Information to Knowledge, to Wisdom, and to Life: Perspectives on Mindfulness (-Based Cognitive Therapy) for Higher Education.Mindfulness · 2025Article
- The impact of mindfulness apps on psychological processes of change: a systematic review.Npj mental health research · 2024Review
- Cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a web-based mindfulness intervention in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: an open study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- From Clicks to Calm: Investigating the Link Between Mindfulness and Digital Hoarding Behavior Among Chinese Youth.Psychology research and behavior management · 2024Article
- Stress Management Apps: Systematic Search and Multidimensional Assessment of Quality and Characteristics.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Review
- Compassion apps for better mental health: qualitative review.BJPsych open · 2023Article
- Advancing the Study of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Relation to Psychological Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- A systematic quality rating of available mobile health apps for borderline personality disorder.Borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation · 2022Article
- Review and Analysis of German Mobile Apps for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Article
- The Relative Contributions of Live and Recorded Online Mindfulness Training Programs to Lower Stress in the Workplace: Longitudinal Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Observational
- "Help in a Heartbeat?": A Systematic Evaluation of Mobile Health Applications (Apps) for Coronary Heart Disease.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Mobile-based interventions for common mental disorders in youth: a systematic evaluation of pediatric health apps.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2021Article
- Quality of Physical Activity Apps: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMindfulness-based interventions show positive effects on physical and mental health. For a better integration of mindfulness techniques in daily life, the use of apps may be promising. However, only a few studies have examined the quality of mindfulness apps using a validated standardized instrument. This review aims to evaluate the content, quality, and privacy features of mindfulness-focused apps from European commercial app stores.
methodsAn automated search engine (webcrawler) was used to identify mindfulness-focused apps in the European Apple App- and Google Play store. Content, quality, and privacy features were evaluated by two independent reviewers using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). The MARS assesses the subscales engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality.
resultsOut of 605 identified apps, 192 met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality was moderate (M = 3.66, SD = 0.48). Seven apps were tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Most of the apps showed a lack of data security and no privacy policy. The five apps with the highest ratings are from a credible source, include a privacy policy, and are also based on standardized mindfulness and behavior change techniques.
conclusionsThe plethora of often low-quality apps in commercial app stores makes it difficult for users to identify a suitable app. Above that, the lack of scientific verification of effectiveness and shortcomings in privacy protection and security poses potential risks. So far, the potential of mindfulness-focused apps is not exploited in commercial app stores.
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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.