Principal Findings and Comparison With Prior Work
depression, depressive symptoms
This study evaluated the efficacy of a smartphone app to prevent depression in workers reporting elevated levels of stress. The app did not reduce the incidence of depression, defined as a “case,” but users showed small comparative reductions in depressive symptoms at 1- and 6-month follow-ups. Program adherence was relatively low, with users completing, on average, a quarter of the intervention content. This was potentially impacted by the timing of the study, which occurred during the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in Australia, which may have affected users’ level of commitment. However, when adherence was high, the outcomes showed significant positive changes.A prior uncontrolled pilot study of The ability of the The promising moderation effects of engagement and the significant impact on work performance provide further support for the real-world utility of the app and support findings elsewhere of the small functional impacts of mobile health interventions [