Dealing with Diversity in Digital Psychological Interventions for Young People: A Structured Review

In recent years, despite significant progress in digital psychological interventions (DPIs), the prevalence of psychological issues among young adults remains a concern. While research on the feasibility and effectiveness of DPIs is extensive, there's a growing recognition of the need for a sociotechnical approach to enhance user engagement. This review aims to highlight the importance of integrating diversity, especially sociodemographic characteristics, into DPI design and implementation. The review meticulously examined literature from six academic databases focused on DPIs tailored for users aged 12 to 26, spanning the period between 2009 and 2019. The data extraction process specifically targeted biosocial factors such as gender and ethnicity, as well as sociocultural elements like remoteness and labor force status among users. Among the initial pool of 879 articles, a refined selection of 25 underwent detailed analysis. Intriguingly, 14 of these studies did not treat sociodemographic factors as independent variables, leaving only 11 that did. Notably, gender and ethnicity emerged as the most frequently studied factors, with remoteness and labor force considerations receiving comparatively less attention. Despite the acknowledged importance of user engagement in DPI effectiveness, the review highlights a critical gap: insufficient consideration of young adults' sociodemographic characteristics in intervention design and implementation. Therefore, the findings strongly support further mixed-method studies to fully understand the complex social factors influencing user engagement with DPIs. Closing this gap will undoubtedly refine and optimize DPIs to better meet the diverse needs of young adults dealing with psychological challenges.