Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile Mental Health Intervention for Adolescent Depression and Anxiety

Comprehensive Summary

Mobile health apps such as Wysa contain the possibility of alleviating many symptoms associated with the adolescent mental health crisis. Through examination of app engagement after participants were sent the link for the Wysa app, surveys were conducted at zero, three, and six weeks. App usage was encouraged as much as desired and compensation was offered to participants for survey completion, and contained specialized adolescent mental health content for teens. Among the 34 individuals who downloaded Wysa from the study, the most commonly used modules were stress, anxiety, low energy, sleep, confidence, motivation, self-esteem, and depression. Following the completion of the study, 42.9% of participants said they planned to use the app and female adolescents were more likely to use the app than males. The average star rating for the app was 3.64 and average engagement rate was 12.4 Wysa sessions. Wysa uptake in the study was higher in this study compared to adolescent uptake for other mental health apps, and adolescents engagement rates were much higher for Wysa than other apps.

Outcomes and Implications

Pediatricians are in need of evidence-based information about virtual mental health interventions, and Wysa demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability among adolescents in the study. The high uptake demonstrates that Wysa has the potential to be a usable method to help address adolescent mental health concerns. While this may not mean that adolescents find app-based support comparable or preferable to the support of a therapist, it does support the potential integration of the app into existing clinical settings as a mental health support tool. Apps such as Wysa may be powerful in allowing adolescents and their families to self-manage and educate themselves, especially for those facing long delays in accessing traditional mental health services.