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. 2024 Apr 5:10:20552076241243133.
doi: 10.1177/20552076241243133. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Improving mental health literacy using web- or app-based interventions: A scoping review

Lidan Tian  1 , Eliza Laiyi Wong  2 , Dong Dong  2 , Annie Wailing Cheung  2 , Sherry Kit-Wa Chan  3 , Yuan Cao  4 , Phoenix K H Mok  2 , Lingming Zhou  5 , Richard Huan Xu  1
Affiliations

Improving mental health literacy using web- or app-based interventions: A scoping review

Lidan Tian et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Background: Given the rapid advancement in technology, the Internet has grown to play a significant role in the field of healthcare. Individuals can now access a profusion of easily available materials for self-management of their health. The purpose of this review is to describe Web/App-based interventions that are primarily or secondarily designed to improve mental health literacy (MHL) and to investigate the effectiveness of online interventions for improving mental health.

Materials and method: A scoping review was conducted by searching five databases: PsycINFO, EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. The search was limited to peer-reviewed journals published in English between 2000 and 2022. Studies focusing on enhancements of MHL or its constituent components were included.

Results: Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions primarily targeted patients or individuals exhibiting symptoms of mental disorders, with a higher representation of female participants. All the interventions yielded positive outcomes. The included studies were categorized according to three themes: knowledge, attitude, and self-care skills. Although numerous studies have focused on knowledge improvement, research on interventions targeting self-care skills is scarce. Furthermore, existing literature on knowledge enhancement is limited in terms of the coverage of risk factors.

Conclusion: This review indicates gaps in web/app interventions including limited evidence on risk factors, inconsistent help-seeking awareness, and inadequate self-care skills training. Further research is critically needed to address these deficiencies and promote comprehensive MHL.

Keywords: attitude; knowledge; mental health literacy; self-care; web/app-based interventions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart for the selection of included studies.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Trends in Web/App based-intervention studies in mental health literacy (MHL).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Key thematic components of Web/App-based mental health literacy (MHL)—conceptual framework.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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