Mental-health apps show uneven benefits after bias adjustment
Pooled depression and anxiety effects shrank after publication-bias adjustment; sleep findings were unchanged.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Standalone apps improved several symptom outcomes compared with inactive controls, but study quality and varied results limit confidence. Depression and anxiety effects became smaller after adjustment for publication bias. Since trials with active-treatment controls were excluded, these findings cannot establish how apps compare with standard treatment.
Trials had moderate-to-high risk of bias and considerable variation in results. Participant, assessment or app differences were possible contributors. This explanation uses only the abstract.
What researchers found
Depressive symptoms after intervention completion
After publication-bias adjustment, apps versus inactive controls. This standardized difference measures effects relative to score variability, in standard-deviation units. A positive value favors apps; it is neither percentage improvement nor questionnaire points.
Bias changed the estimates
Analyses addressing publication bias reduced the pooled depression and anxiety effects. The estimate for sleep problems did not change with that adjustment, so the review's initial and adjusted estimates need to be distinguished.
Some outcomes remain uncertain
Pooled results did not show statistically clear benefits for smoking, self-injury, suicidal thoughts or alcohol misuse. These findings leave uncertainty about effectiveness; they do not demonstrate that every app has no effect.
The original publication
Efficacy of standalone smartphone apps for mental health: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
Kulke JK, Fuhrmann LM, Berking M et al.
Lancet Digit Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41290454
- Record checked
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