Users' Needs for Mental Health Apps: Quality Evaluation Using the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mental Health Technology
• Mobile Health Applications

Background:

• Traditional mental health services face barriers like stigma and counselor shortages.
• Mobile health (mHealth) offers a promising alternative to improve mental health accessibility.
• A gap exists in research evaluating whether current mHealth apps meet user needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the content and quality of mental health apps from a user viewpoint.
• To identify specific content features that correlate with higher user evaluations.
• To provide insights for enhancing future mental health app development.

Main Methods:

• Searched Google Play and iOS App Stores for Korean mental health apps.
• Selected apps based on relevance, language, user reviews, recency, and cost.
• Users evaluated app quality using the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS).
• Analyzed correlations between app content, uMARS scores, ratings, and review counts.

Main Results:

• 41 mental health apps were analyzed.
• Common features included reminders, recording/statistics, and diaries.
• Top-rated apps featured counselor information and counseling services.
• Higher uMARS scores correlated with the presence of healthcare provider information and counseling services.
• Providing relevant information was linked to better user ratings.

Conclusions:

• User perspective is crucial for evaluating mental health app quality.
• Incorporating features like counselor information and services enhances app value.
• Continuous user-centered evaluation and advanced technologies like AI are vital for high-quality mental health apps.