ArticleBorderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation2021
A systematic review of dialectical behavior therapy mobile apps for content and usability.
Article in Borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Long-term effects of dialectical behaviour therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder and cognitive processing therapy 9 months after treatment termination.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Trial
- Beyond awareness: mental health promotion requires epistemic diversity, not pathologization.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Non-suicidal self-injury behaviours among adolescents in Beijing: protocol for an epidemiological and qualitative exploration.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Enhancing Distress Tolerance Skills in Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa Through the BALANCE Mobile App: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- A Narrative Review to Identify Promising Approaches for Digital Health Interventions to Support Emotion Regulation for Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.JMIR mental health · 2025Review
- The Goldilocks Zone: Finding the right balance of user and institutional risk for suicide-related generative AI queries.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Smartphone Apps for Problematic Pornography Use: A Review of Content and Quality.Current addiction reports · 2025Article
- AI-Led Mental Health Support (Wysa) for Health Care Workers During COVID-19: Service Evaluation.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Features, Design, and Adherence to Evidence-Based Behavioral Parenting Principles in Commercial mHealth Parenting Apps: Systematic Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe gap between treatment need and treatment availability is particularly wide for individuals seeking Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mobile apps based on DBT may be useful in increasing access to care and augmenting in-person DBT. This review examines DBT based apps, with a specific focus on content quality and usability.
methodsAll apps referring to DBT were identified in Google Play and iOS app stores and were systematically reviewed for app content and quality. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) was used to evaluate app usability and engagement.
resultsA total of 21 free to download apps were identified. The majority of apps (71%) included a component of skills training, five apps included a diary card feature. Most (76.19%) apps were designed to function without help from a therapist. The average user "star" rating was 4.39 out of 5. The mean overall MARS score was 3.41, with a range of 2.15 to 4.59, and 71.43% were considered minimally 'acceptable,' as defined by a score of 3 or higher. The average star rating was correlated with the total MARS score (r = .51, p = .02). Estimates of app usage differed substantially between popular and unpopular apps, with the three most popular apps accounting for 89.3% of monthly active users.
conclusionsWhile the present study identified many usable and engaging apps in app stores designed based on DBT, there are limited apps for clinicians. DBT based mobile apps should be carefully developed and clinically evaluated.
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