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Impact of Guidance and Personalisation on Mobile Mindfulness for Depression and Anxiety : A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis
Aydin, N. (2025) Impact of Guidance and Personalisation on Mobile Mindfulness for Depression and Anxiety : A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.
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| Abstract: | Globally, anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health disorders. Yet, access to adequate treatment remains sparse. Smartphone-based mental health apps (mHealth apps), particularly mindfulness-based mobile apps, can be effective in addressing this issue. To enhance the effectiveness of these mindfulness apps, this study investigates the independent and combined effects of guidance and personalisation on the reduction of anxiety and depression symptoms. The research question: “Does the inclusion of personalisation and guidance in mobile mental health interventions with mindfulness lead to greater improvements in the effectiveness of therapy compared to mindfulness-only interventions for individuals with anxiety and depression?”. This is realised by conducting a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of 45 RCTs of mindfulness‑based mobile apps, calculating within‑group Hedges’ g and performing a between-group meta-analysis. Covariate effects are accounted for as well (age, gender, clinical status, comorbidity). Mindfulness‑only apps significantly reduced both depression and anxiety, the inclusion of guidance further enhanced the impact on depression, and combined guidance and personalisation improved both anxiety and depression symptoms. After adjusting for covariates, only the reduction of depression in the mindfulness‑only condition remained significant. Forest plots confirm generally small but robust effects. Findings highlight the need for more rigorous research. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107547 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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