Clinically meaningful use of mental health apps and its effects on depression: Mixed methods study

Abstract

Background: User engagement is key to the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions. Considerable research has examined the clinical outcomes of overall engagement with mental health apps (eg, frequency and duration of app use). However, few studies have examined how specific app use behaviors can drive change in outcomes. Understanding the clinical outcomes of more nuanced app use could inform the design of mental health apps that are more clinically effective to users. Objective: This study aimed to classify user behaviors in a suite of mental health apps and examine how different types of app use are related to depression and anxiety outcomes. We also compare the clinical outco..