We’re pleased to share our latest paper, bringing together practical insights and reflections from over a decade of developing and scaling digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) for young people.
👉https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214782925000508

Mental health apps are effective and could help ease the burden of mental ill-health, an Orygen systematic review led by Dr @leemvalentine.bsky.social has found – but more needs to be done to measure and understand engagement.

Details: bit.ly/45fNtAE

🧩 Without consistent reporting of engagement data, it's unfeasible to compare across studies
We call for:
🔸A standardised definition of engagement
🔸Standardised engagement metrics
🔸A structured framework to report engagement metrics & persuasive principles

💡 Persuasive design principles ranged from 1 to 12 per app (mode = 5)
📈But: No significant link between persuasive design and engagement or efficacy

Engagement reporting varied substantially across studies:
📊 25 different metrics identified
❓ 24% of studies didn’t report engagement at all

Most common metrics used:
% completing the intervention
% of modules completed

📱Apps improved outcomes compared to controls (g = 0.43, N = 16,728).
✅ Significant effects for depression, anxiety, stress, & eating/body image.
❌ No effect for psychosis, suicide/self-harm, postnatal depression, or general MH.
🔍 More research needed on less-studied areas.

🚨 Just published in @nature.com's npj Digital Medicine

What do we really know about persuasive design and engagement in mental health apps?

We analysed 92 RCTs (N=16,728) to find out👇

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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The scale of this afternoon's Invasion Day rally is staggering. People standing in solidarity against colonialism and genocide as far as the eye can see. Always was, always will be. Free Palestine. Melbourne, 26 Jan 2025.