School of Social Work, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States.
Center for Behavioral Health Research & Training, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States.
JMIR Ment Health. 2024 Mar 28;11:e52763. doi: 10.2196/52763.
BACKGROUND: Suicide safety planning is an evidence-based approach used to help individuals identify strategies to keep themselves safe during a mental health crisis. This study systematically reviewed the literature focused on mobile health (mHealth) suicide safety planning apps. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the extent to which apps integrated components of the safety planning intervention (SPI), and if so, how these safety planning components were integrated into the design-based features of the apps. METHODS: Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we systematically analyzed 14 peer-reviewed studies specific to mHealth apps for suicide safety planning. We conducted an analysis of the literature to evaluate how the apps incorporated SPI components and examined similarities and differences among the apps by conducting a comparative analysis of app features. An independent review of SPI components and app features was conducted by downloading the available apps. RESULTS: Most of the mHealth apps (5/7, 71%) integrated SPI components and provided customizable features that expanded upon traditional paper-based safety planning processes. App design features were categorized into 5 themes, including interactive features, individualized user experiences, interface design, guidance and training, and privacy and sharing. All apps included access to community supports and revisable safety plans. Fewer mHealth apps (3/7, 43%) included interactive features, such as associating coping strategies with specific stressors. Most studies (10/14, 71%) examined the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of the safety planning mHealth apps. Usability findings were generally positive, as users often found these apps easy to use and visually appealing. In terms of feasibility, users preferred using mHealth apps during times of crisis, but the continuous use of the apps outside of crisis situations received less support. Few studies (4/14, 29%) examined the effectiveness of mHealth apps for suicide-related outcomes. Positive shifts in attitudes and desire to live, improved coping strategies, enhanced emotional stability, and a decrease in suicidal thoughts or self-harm behaviors were examined in these studies. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the need for researchers, clinicians, and app designers to continue to work together to align evidence-based research on mHealth suicide safety planning apps with lessons learned for how to best deliver these technologies to end users. Our review brings to light mHealth suicide safety planning strategies needing further development and testing, such as lethal means guidance, collaborative safety planning, and the opportunity to embed more interactive features that leverage the advanced capabilities of technology to improve client outcomes as well as foster sustained user engagement beyond a crisis. Although preliminary evidence shows that these apps may help to mitigate suicide risk, clinical trials with larger sample sizes and more robust research designs are needed to validate their efficacy before the widespread adoption and use.
背景:自杀安全计划是一种基于证据的方法,用于帮助个人在心理健康危机期间确定保持自身安全的策略。本研究系统地回顾了专注于移动健康 (mHealth) 自杀安全计划应用程序的文献。
目的:本研究旨在评估应用程序整合安全计划干预 (SPI) 组件的程度,如果是这样,这些安全计划组件如何整合到应用程序的设计功能中。
方法:根据 PRISMA(系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目)指南,我们系统地分析了 14 项专门针对自杀安全规划的 mHealth 应用程序的同行评审研究。我们通过下载可用的应用程序进行了 SPI 组件的独立审查,并通过对应用程序功能进行比较分析,检查了应用程序之间的相似之处和不同之处。
结果:大多数 mHealth 应用程序(71%,5/7)整合了 SPI 组件,并提供了可定制的功能,扩展了传统的纸质安全计划流程。应用程序设计功能分为 5 个主题,包括交互功能、个性化用户体验、界面设计、指导和培训以及隐私和共享。所有应用程序都可以访问社区支持和可修订的安全计划。较少的 mHealth 应用程序(43%,3/7)包括交互功能,例如将应对策略与特定压力源相关联。大多数研究(71%,10/14)检查了安全规划 mHealth 应用程序的可用性、可行性和可接受性。可用性研究结果通常是积极的,因为用户通常发现这些应用程序易于使用且视觉上吸引人。就可行性而言,用户更喜欢在危机期间使用 mHealth 应用程序,但在危机情况之外持续使用应用程序的支持较少。少数研究(29%,4/14)检查了 mHealth 应用程序对与自杀相关结果的有效性。这些研究检查了态度和生存意愿的积极转变、改善的应对策略、增强的情绪稳定性以及自杀念头或自残行为的减少。
结论:我们的研究强调了研究人员、临床医生和应用程序设计师继续合作的必要性,以将基于证据的 mHealth 自杀安全规划应用程序研究与如何最好地将这些技术传递给最终用户的经验教训结合起来。我们的审查揭示了需要进一步开发和测试的 mHealth 自杀安全规划策略,例如致命手段指导、协作安全规划以及利用技术的先进功能嵌入更多交互功能的机会,以改善客户结果并促进用户在危机之外的持续参与。尽管初步证据表明这些应用程序可能有助于降低自杀风险,但需要更大规模的样本量和更强大的研究设计的临床试验来验证其疗效,然后才能广泛采用和使用。
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