Quality evaluation of stress, anxiety and depression apps for COVID-19

Lauren Su En Li · Kevin Yi‐Lwern Yap

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Digital Mental Health Interventions COVID-19 and Mental Health Mobile Health and mHealth Applications

Abstract

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has caused increased stress, anxiety and depression with increased barriers to treatment. Mobile apps offer a potential solution, but there is no information on the quality of such apps recommended for COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the quality of stress, anxiety and depression apps recommended for COVID-19. METHODS: A search was conducted to identify relevant apps on the iOS and Android platforms. 44 apps were evaluated using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), and the American Psychiatric Association's app evaluation model for data privacy and security. RESULTS: Overall quality scores of iOS and Android apps were 3.69 ± 0.43 and 3.66 ± 0.47. Thirty percent had good/excellent overall scores. In general, the iOS and Android versions of the apps scored best for functionality (4.21 ± 0.48, 4.12 ± 0.53), followed by aesthetics (3.84 ± 0.50, 3.78 ± 0.56), information (3.39 ± 0.54, 3.40 ± 0.60), and engagement (3.31 ± 0.81, 3.34 ± 0.84). Over half (59%) shared personal information with third parties and 14% were compliant with data protection standards. LIMITATIONS: Only free apps available in Singapore were evaluated. Our results are time sensitive due to addition, removal, and update of apps in the app stores, thus our results should be extrapolated with caution to apps from other countries and paid apps. CONCLUSION: Apps that addressed all three conditions had the highest overall quality scores. The top ranked apps (Sanvello, Woebot, Happify, Youper, Bloom) were of good quality, but majority were of acceptable quality and had room for improvement. App developers are encouraged to use our findings to improve and develop better quality apps.

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References

2020Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic 2020COVID-19 and mental health: A review of the existing literature 2020Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis 2020The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing 2020Mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic 2017General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)2017Serious Games and Gamification for Mental Health: Current Status and Promising Directions 2008Stigma and discrimination limit access to mental health care

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2024Digital Interventions for Reducing Loneliness and Depression in Korean College Students: Mixed Methods Evaluation 2024Evaluating mobile mental health apps using the mobile application rating scale (MARS) in the U.S.2022Targeting the Needs of Self-Determination Theory: An Overview of Mental Health Care Apps 2024Multi-Media Field Test: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy at Our Fingertips: Sanvello Provides On-Demand Support for Mental Health 2022Acceptability and effectiveness of a chatbot for delivering Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to adolescents with depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic (Preprint)

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