University College Dublin, Ireland.
Health Informatics J. 2020 Sep;26(3):1538-1559. doi: 10.1177/1460458219884195. Epub 2019 Nov 8.
Demand for the use of mobile apps in mental health interventions has grown in recent years, particularly among adolescents who experience elevated levels of distress. However, there is a scarcity of evidence for the effectiveness of these tools within this population. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of CopeSmart, a mental health mobile app, using a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial design. Participants were 15-18-years-olds (N = 560) recruited from 10 schools randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition. Intervention participants used the app over a 4-week period. Multi-level modelling analyses revealed no significant changes in the intervention group from pre-test to post-test, when compared to the control group, in terms of emotional distress, well-being, emotional self-awareness or coping strategies. Findings suggest that a 4-week app-based intervention may not be enough to elicit intra-personal changes in mental health outcomes in a general adolescent population.
近年来，移动应用程序在心理健康干预中的需求不断增长，尤其是在经历更高水平困扰的青少年中。然而，针对这一人群，这些工具的有效性证据还很有限。本研究旨在采用多中心聚类随机对照试验设计，测试 CopeSmart 这一心理健康移动应用程序的有效性。参与者为 10 所学校中招募的 15-18 岁青少年（N=560），他们被随机分配到干预组或对照组。干预组在 4 周内使用该应用程序。多层次模型分析显示，与对照组相比，干预组在情绪困扰、幸福感、情绪自我意识或应对策略方面，从预测试到后测试均没有显著变化。研究结果表明，对于一般青少年群体，基于应用程序的 4 周干预可能不足以引起心理健康结果的个体内变化。
