Usefulness of Interventions Using a Smartphone Cognitive Behavior Therapy Application for Children With Mental Health...

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Digital Health Interventions
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Rising prevalence of child mental health disorders in Japan, often linked to depressive symptoms and reduced quality of life (QOL).
• Previous development and validation of a smartphone-based CBT app for health promotion in healthy children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a CBT app in improving depressive symptoms and QOL for children diagnosed with mental health disorders.
• To assess the app's impact on various psychometric measures including quality of life, self-esteem, and overall health status.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 115 children (aged 12-18) with various mental health disorders participated.
• The intervention involved a 2-week program: 1 week of psychoeducation and 1 week of app-based self-monitoring, supplemented by regular medical care.
• Psychometric assessments (PHQ-9A, DSRS-C, PedsQL, QTA30, RSES) were conducted at baseline, 2 months, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• No significant improvement in the primary outcome (DSRS-C scores) was observed across all groups.
• A significant improvement in Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) scores was noted at 2 and 6 months in the group that completed the app intervention and had lower baseline depressive symptoms (PHQ-9A<5).
• A positive correlation was found between PHQ-9A scores and the number of self-monitoring sheets completed.

Conclusions:

• The CBT app demonstrated utility in enhancing the quality of life for children with mental health conditions.
• The findings suggest that while the app is beneficial for some, more intensive CBT programs are required for children with severe depression.