Rena Gatzounis summarises a review investigating the effectiveness of digital interventions for eating disorders and the behaviour change techniques that lie underneath.

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are increasingly recommended for children and young people (CYP) as a promising way to prevent and treat mental health problems. Here, we summarised and con...

Background: The suicide rate among men exceeds that of women worldwide. One important measure in suicide prevention for men is digital communication interventions, as they enable easy and anonymous access to information resources. This is especially…

Background: The ongoing adoption and use of #Digital interventions offer promising opportunities to meet the growing demand for #MentalHealth support. The effectiveness, implementation, and usage of these interventions depend on how well they are designed and evaluated. However, given the emerging nature of design research in this area, there is still no clear consensus on the specific principles and guidelines for developing #Digital #MentalHealth interventions (DMHIs). There seems to be a lack of clarity regarding the best practices for designing and evaluating these tools. Objective: We aimed to investigate and report on the design principles and evaluation #Approaches used in #Digital interventions specific to #MentalHealth care. Additionally, we sought to outline how these principles and #Approaches are #Applied in research. Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for scoping reviews. The literature search was performed in 2 electronic databases, SCOPUS and Web of Science, across 3 iterations from January 2024 to January 2025. A total of 2 independent reviewers screened and selected papers based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by data extraction from the selected studies. The data were then synthesized by categorizing the papers according to the primary research aim of each study. The inclusion criteria covered studies involving populations with #MentalHealth challenges or users of DMHIs, any #Digital tools for #MentalHealth care, and principles or strategies related to the design, evaluation, or implementation of DMHIs. Results: Our search identified 401 papers, of which 17 met the inclusion criteria for this review. Among these, 11 focused on evaluation studies, while 6 covered both design and evaluation studies (mixed). An iterative user-centered development process, expert inclusion, usability testing, specification of design elements, and user tracking and feedback were identified as common design principles used in studies focused on DMHIs. Evaluation #Approaches were shaped by the evaluation goal, which influenced the chosen methodologies. We also summarize the recommendations for implementation highlighted in some studies. Based on our findings, we propose 8 guidelines emphasizing stakeholder involvement in the development process and the need for clear justifications for design decisions, among other considerations. Conclusions: Design principles used in DMHI development include user-centered development, expert inclusion, and usability testing, while evaluation #Approaches often rely on randomized controlled trials to assess efficacy. Qualitative and mixed-method #Approaches are commonly adopted by studies to capture user experience and bridge both process and outcome measures. We recommend that future research explicitly report its design justification and adopt a multiperspective #Approach in the research and design of DMHIs.

Background: Blended care psychotherapy (BCP) combines face-to-face psychotherapy with #Digital interventions, such as videoconferencing, #Apps, or virtual reality, which can be incorporated in various ways and at different stages of the therapeutic process. Despite its increasing implementation, conceptual and terminological inconsistencies continue to impede a shared understanding of the competencies required for its effective delivery. Objective: This theoretical paper introduces a framework of psychotherapeutic competencies in BCP, designed to provide conceptual clarity. Methods: The framework was developed in four steps. (1) An exploratory literature search was conducted to identify existing competence and educational frameworks relevant to psychotherapy, #Digitalization, and educational psychology. (2) These models informed a preliminary theoretical framework. (3) This preliminary framework was critically reviewed and refined in an expert workshop with 5 licensed psychotherapists and researchers experienced in BCP. (4) Lastly, findings from a systematic review of 35 studies on BCP competencies were integrated, resulting in the final 8-domain framework. Results: The resulting framework comprises of BCP (eg, face-to-face, videoconferencing, and #Apps), (knowledge, skills, and attitudes), as well as 8 (Creation of Setting and Infrastructure; Transfer of Communication and Methods; Therapeutic Relationship; Self-Regulation, Self-Confidence, and Self-Care; Data Security, Legal Issues, Ethics, and Safety; Technological Aspects; Scientific Knowledge and Methods; and Individual and Cultural Diversity). Conclusions: This conceptual contribution aims to strengthen the theoretical foundation of BCP, support competence-based education for psychotherapists, and guide future research toward the empirical validation and refinement of BCP-specific competencies.

Background: Treatment-as-usual (TAU) conditions are intended to reflect the support typically received in routine treatment settings. For #Digital #MentalHealth interventions (DMHIs) delivered online, TAU conditions should reflect the usual patterns of online help-seeking. The lack of ecologically valid TAU control conditions has been a gap in effectiveness trials of online DMHIs. In this study, #MentalHealth–related popular online content (eg, advice TikToks, lived experience vlogs, and self-care infographics) was examined as a valuable TAU control condition. Objective: This study examined the feasibility of popular online content as a TAU control condition in DMHI trials. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials. Both trials recruited participants online, primarily via an online study recruitment platform. In study 1 (N=916), US adults with elevated #depression or #anxiety were randomized to either (1) complete a single-session DHMI for #depression and #anxiety (n=291), (2) search the web for popular online content relevant to their struggles (n=312), or (3) search a curated library of #MentalHealth–related popular online content (n=313). In study 2 (N=431), US adults with elevated loneliness were randomized to (1) complete a single-session DHMI for loneliness (n=136), (2) search a curated library of popular online content related to loneliness (n=145), or (3) complete an attention-matched control condition (n=150). All 6 programs took #Approximately 10 to 20 minutes to complete and were entirely self-guided. Participants rated each program’s credibility and expected benefit, as well as their feelings of distress (study 1) and loneliness (study 2). The studies did not involve interaction between participants and the research team. Results: In study 1, dropout during the treatment was 4.8% (14/291) for the single-session intervention, 25.9% (81/312) for online help-seeking, and 9.6% (30/313) for the curated library. The curated library’s credibility and expected benefit score did not differ from that of the single-session intervention (Cohen =0.08; =.88) and was higher than that of unguided help-seeking (Cohen =0.23; =.01). In study 2, dropout was higher in the curated library condition (7/145, 4.8%) than in the single-session intervention and the attention-matched control condition (0/136, 0.0% and 0/150, 0.0%). The mean credibility and expected benefit score for the curated library was comparable to that of the attention-matched control condition (Cohen =0.00; >.99) but lower than that of the single-session intervention (Cohen =0.32; =.02). Changes in distress and loneliness from baseline to 8-week follow-up did not differ across the conditions in study 1. All effect sizes were small in study 1 (Cohen .06). Similarly, in study 2, all effect sizes were small (Cohen .25). Conclusions: Curated libraries of popular online content are a feasible, ecologically valid TAU benchmark for effectiveness trials of online DMHIs. Future research on TAU conditions in online help-seeking contexts should better align with observed DMHI attrition rates and account for the increasingly central role of conversational artificial intelligence in online #MentalHealth support. Trial Registration: OSF Registries 3DYMA; https://osf.io/3dyma and NVD79; https://osf.io/nvd79; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05687162; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05687162

Background: Worldwide, the #covid19 pandemic contributed to further gaps in mental health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Vietnam, where care is inaccessible for 90% of those who need it. There has subsequently been a considerable increase in the use of digital mental health interventions such as smartphone apps. Presently, the evidence for such interventions is limited, especially in cases in which the interventions have been adapted from evidence-based in-person formats. Implementation science aims to promote the incorporation of scientific findings into practice. A key determinant of implementation success is an intervention’s #usability. Hurdles to #usability include an intervention being too confusing or time-intensive to use. Facilitators include incorporating a greater number of engagement features and integrating human support. Objective: The aim of this implementation science #feasibility study was to describe the challenges and mitigation strategies used in the development, #usability testing, and implementation of a digital depression intervention (VMood smartphone app) developed in Vietnam. VMood was adapted from an evidence-based in-person intervention originally developed in Canada that is grounded in principles of cognitive behavioral therapy with supportive coaching by a lay health or social services worker. The research team is currently testing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of VMood in a randomized controlled trial across 8 provinces in Vietnam informed by the results of this #feasibility assessment. Methods: This mixed methods #feasibility study was organized using an implementation outcome framework focused on acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, and #feasibility. This study involved three data collection components: (1) #usability testing (interviews and focus groups with app user and provider participants who tested VMood in 1 Vietnamese province), (2) app metrics (from the early phase of the randomized controlled trial in the same province but from different municipalities), and (3) discourse data (notes from various team meetings, communications, and reports on VMood’s development and implementation). Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. App use data were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics. Results: The findings of the 3 data components showed that there were seven main challenges: (1) challenges with recruitment and uptake of the app, (2) challenges with use and engagement, (3) screening challenges, (4) digital divide, (5) limitations to digital applications for mental health, (6) technological challenges, and (7) funding and policy constraints. Various solutions to help mitigate the challenges were used by the team. Conclusions: The findings contribute important evidence on the challenges to the development and #feasibility assessment of a digital depression app adapted from an in-person intervention in Vietnam. The findings have applicability for others looking to develop and implement digital interventions in similar contexts, serving as a unique opportunity to share the lessons learned regarding the development and testing process.

Background: Hispanic adults receive less advice to quit smoking and use fewer evidence-based smoking cessation treatments compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts. Digital smoking cessation interventions, such as those delivered via smartphone apps,…

Introduction: Reappraisal is one of the highly modifiable resilience factors and an important emotion regulation strategy. Reappraisal training can be delivered via mobile apps; however, such apps…