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Review
. 2021 Dec 23:3:754337.
doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2021.754337. eCollection 2021.

Technological and Digital Interventions for Mental Health and Wellbeing: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Nele A J De Witte  1 , Steven Joris  1 , Eva Van Assche  1 , Tom Van Daele  1
Affiliations
Review

Technological and Digital Interventions for Mental Health and Wellbeing: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Nele A J De Witte et al. Front Digit Health. .

Abstract

Background: Research increasingly shows how selective and targeted use of technology within care and welfare can have several advantages including improved quality of care and active user involvement. Purpose: The current overview of reviews aims to summarize the research on the effectiveness of technology for mental health and wellbeing. The goal is to highlight and structure the diverse combinations of technologies and interventions used so far, rather than to summarize the effectiveness of singular approaches. Methods: The current overview includes reviews published in the past five years with a focus on effectiveness of digital and technological interventions targeting mental health and wellbeing. Results: A total of 246 reviews could be included. All reviews examined the effectiveness of digital and technological interventions in the context of care and welfare. A combination of two taxonomies was created through qualitative analysis, based on the retrieved interventions and technologies in the reviews. Review classification shows a predominance of reviews on psychotherapeutic interventions using computers and smartphones. It is furthermore shown that when smartphone applications as stand-alone technology are researched, the primary focus is on self-help, and that extended reality is the most researched emerging technology to date. Conclusion: This overview of reviews shows that a wide range of interventions and technologies, with varying focus and target populations, have been studied in the field of care and wellbeing. The current overview of reviews is a first step to add structure to this rapidly changing field and may guide both researchers and clinicians in further exploring the evidence-base of particular approaches.

Keywords: digital applications (apps); digital mental health; interventions; technologies; wellbeing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Target groups of the included reviews. Each review could be assigned multiple categories.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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