Muñoz-Ortega Sandra Lorena, Alvarado Muñoz Rubén Vladimir, Santamaria Guayaquil Daniela, Pluas-Borja Jade, Faytong-Haro Marco
Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Espiritu Santo, Km 2.5 vía a Samborondón, Samborondón, 092301, Ecuador, 593 0986510209.
Centro Interdisciplinario de estudios en Salud (CIESAL), Departamento de Salud Pública, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile.
JMIR Hum Factors. 2025 Aug 5;12:e58943. doi: 10.2196/58943.
Mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and burnout, have become increasingly prevalent among health care workers, who face high-stress environments, limited resources, and long working hours. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these issues, especially in regions like Latin America, where health care professionals experience heightened anxiety and depression. The urgent need for mental health support has prompted the development of mobile health (mHealth) solutions. These tools offer accessible, confidential interventions that help reduce stigma and encourage engagement. The "Psicovida" mobile app was designed to provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based activities tailored to health care workers, supporting them in managing stress, anxiety, and depression.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Psicovida, a mobile app that delivers CBT-based interventions, in reducing depressive symptoms and emotional distress among health care workers over a 3-month period.
A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized controlled study was conducted with health care workers at a public hospital in Ecuador. Participants were recruited offline and assigned to either an intervention group that used the Psicovida app or a control group that received no intervention. The app provided weekly CBT-based tasks focused on stress management, cognitive restructuring, and emotional regulation. Data collection included demographic information, with mental health outcomes assessed pre- and postintervention using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depression and the General Health Questionnaire-12 to assess overall psychological well-being.
A total of 211 health care workers participated, with 88 in the intervention group and 96 in the control group, and 29 participants dropped out. Among the intervention group, adherence varied: 34% (30/88) used the app consistently for 10-12 weeks, 42% (37/88) for 7-9 weeks, and 24% (21/88) for fewer than 6 weeks. Significant improvements in mental health outcomes were observed among app users. The intervention group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms, with PHQ-9 scores decreasing significantly (P<.001; 95% CI 6.17-9.36). Within this group, 20% (18/88) achieved complete remission of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores <5), 32% (28/88) showed mild symptoms (PHQ-9 scores=5-9), and 48% (42/88) remained in the range requiring treatment referral (PHQ-9 scores ≥10). General Health Questionnaire-12 scores similarly showed substantial improvement in psychological well-being (P<.001; 95% CI 3.99-5.58).
The Psicovida mobile app demonstrates promise as an accessible, effective tool for reducing depression and anxiety among health care workers through CBT-based interventions. This study highlights the potential of mHealth technology to deliver targeted mental health support, especially in resource-limited settings. Future research should focus on evaluating long-term impacts and broader applications in varied health care environments.
心理健康挑战，包括抑郁、焦虑和职业倦怠，在面临高压力环境、资源有限和工作时间长的医护人员中日益普遍。新冠疫情加剧了这些问题，尤其是在拉丁美洲等地区，医护人员的焦虑和抑郁情绪加剧。对心理健康支持的迫切需求促使了移动健康（mHealth）解决方案的发展。这些工具提供了可获取的、保密的干预措施，有助于减少污名化并鼓励参与。“心理生活”移动应用程序旨在为医护人员提供基于认知行为疗法（CBT）的活动，帮助他们管理压力、焦虑和抑郁。
本研究旨在评估“心理生活”移动应用程序（一款提供基于CBT干预措施的移动应用）在3个月内减轻医护人员抑郁症状和情绪困扰方面的有效性。
在厄瓜多尔一家公立医院对医护人员进行了一项准实验性、非随机对照研究。参与者通过线下招募，并被分配到使用“心理生活”应用程序的干预组或不接受干预的对照组。该应用程序每周提供基于CBT的任务，重点是压力管理、认知重构和情绪调节。数据收集包括人口统计学信息，心理健康结果在干预前后使用患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）测量抑郁，使用一般健康问卷-12评估总体心理健康状况。
共有211名医护人员参与，其中干预组88人，对照组96人，29名参与者退出。在干预组中，依从性各不相同：34%（30/88）持续使用该应用程序10至12周，42%（37/88）使用7至9周，24%（21/88）使用少于6周。应用程序用户的心理健康结果有显著改善。干预组的抑郁症状有统计学意义的显著减少，PHQ-9评分显著下降（P<.001；95%CI 6.17-9.36）。在该组中，20%（18/88）实现了抑郁症状的完全缓解（PHQ-9评分<5），32%（28/88）表现出轻度症状（PHQ-9评分=5-9），48%（42/88）仍处于需要转诊治疗的范围内（PHQ-9评分≥10）。一般健康问卷-12评分同样显示心理健康状况有显著改善（P<.001；95%CI 3.99-5.58）。
“心理生活”移动应用程序显示出作为一种可获取的、有效的工具，通过基于CBT的干预措施减少医护人员抑郁和焦虑的前景。本研究强调了移动健康技术提供有针对性心理健康支持的潜力，尤其是在资源有限的环境中。未来的研究应侧重于评估长期影响以及在不同医疗环境中的更广泛应用。
