Behavioral Health Apps Have Limited Effects

Smartphone apps for mental health have limited effects for reducing depressive symptoms and smoking behavior. However, there were no significant effects for apps to treat anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-injury, or alcohol use. These were findings of a meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials with 3,681 participants.

The 19 studies focused on smartphone apps with eight types of intervention components and six disorders. Each of the studies relied on self-report measures assessed at baseline and post-assessment, and compared the self-reports to a control group. The control groups were structured as individuals receiving no treatment, wait . . .