Can smartphone mental health interventions reduce symptoms of anxiety? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
By J. Firth, John B. Torous, J. Nicholas, R. Carney, Simon Rosenbaum, J. Sarris. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2017
610 citations recorded by the source corpus.
BACKGROUND Various psychological interventions are effective for reducing symptoms of anxiety when used alone, or as an adjunct to anti-anxiety medications. Recent studies have further indicated that smartphone-supported psychological interventions may also reduce anxiety, although the role of mobile devices in the treatment and management of anxiety disorders has yet to be established. METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) reporting the effects of psychological interventions delivered via smartphone on symptoms of anxiety (sub-clinical or diagnosed anxiety disorders). A systematic search of major electronic databases conducted in November 2016 identified 9 eligible RCTs, with 1837 participants. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to calculate the standardized mean difference (as Hedges' g) between smartphone interventions and control conditions. RESULTS Significantly greater reductions in total anxiety scores were observed from smartphone interventions than control conditions (g=0.325, 95% C.I.=0.17-0.48, p<0.01), with no evidence of publication bias. Effect sizes from smartphone interventions were significantly greater when compared to waitlist/inactive controls (g=0.45, 95% C.I.=0.30-0.61, p<0.01) than active control conditions (g=0.19, 95% C.I.=0.07-0.31, p=0.003). LIMITATIONS The extent to which smartphone interventions can match (or exceed) the efficacy of recognised treatments for anxiety has yet to established. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis shows that psychological interventions delivered via smartphone devices can reduce anxiety. Future research should aim to develop pragmatic methods for implementing smartphone-based support for people with anxiety, while also comparing the efficacy of these interventions to standard face-to-face psychological care.
Subfields: Applied Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, General Health Professions
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a30d80efe39cba60f76130097b0c154c648affd2
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In Applied Psychology
In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
In General Health Professions
Citations in the corpus
- Enabling Technologies for the Internet of Health Things (2018, background): “[59] published a review of all randomized clinical trials reporting the effects of psychological interventions delivered via smartphone on symptoms of anxiety (sub-clinical or diagnosed anxiety disorders), observing, among others, a significantly greater reduction in total anxi-”
- Digital Mental Health Interventions for Depression, Anxiety, and Enhancement of Psychological Well-Being Among College Students: Systematic Review (2018, neutral): “The evidence base for digital mental health interventions for general adult populations is vast [12-15], and the evidence base for college and university student populations is rapidly accumulating.”
- Artificially intelligent chatbots in digital mental health interventions: a review (2021, background): “Meta-analyses of DMHIs show small to medium effects on depression and anxiety symptoms [27–30], with larger effects when programs include more engagement features [31], though other meta-analyses found significant pooled effects for depression but not for other psychological outcomes, including…”