Serrano-Ripoll MJ, Zamanillo-Campos R, Fiol-DeRoque MA, Castro A, Ricci-Cabello I. (2022). Impact of smartphone app-based psychological interventions for reducing depressive symptoms in people with depression: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 10(1), e29621. https://doi.org/10.2196/29621
Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the impact of app-based psychological interventions for depression. Included studies examined the impact of app-based psychological interventions delivered through smartphones that target depression compared with a nonactive control group. The review identified 12 trials evaluating 14 different interventions. Of the 12 trials, five presented a low risk of bias. Two-thirds of the interventions were based on cognitive behavioral therapy or a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and another type of therapy. The researchers pooled data using random effects meta-analyses to obtain estimates of the effect size of the intervention. Eighty three percent of the trials reported evidence that app-based interventions moderately reduced depressive symptoms compared to the control groups. A meta-regression analysis indicated that participants with moderate to severe depression observed greater reduction in depressive symptoms compared to participants with mild to moderate depression.