Current trends and future directions of mHealth in psychology: Challenges and promising perspectives

Abstract

The impact of e-Health and m-health interventions on mental health, highlighting their potential to address psychological problems. E-health is defined as the use of information and communication technologies in support of health, while mobile health refers to the usage of mobile technologies for health purposes. Both offer benefits such as availability, accessibility, cost-effectiveness and content personalization. The effectiveness of mobile apps in improving quality of life, reducing symptoms of stress and depression, and promoting emotional well-being. The importance of integrating psychological theories into these applications is highlighted and the need for more research, especially in populations such as older adults and health workers. Accessibility and reach of psychological services through m-health are crucial, but challenges are observed in adoption and usability, especially in environments such as that of university students. The need to carefully consider the socio-cultural experiences and preferences of users when developing m-health applications is highlighted. There are three examples of interventions in Mexico, highlighting the implementation of preventive strategies for adolescents, augmented reality in psychology teaching, and a smoking cessation programme for adults. Although successful, it is recognized that there is little scientific evidence related to mobile applications in the Mexican population. It highlights the potential of mobile technology in mental health, but also points to challenges and the need for ongoing research to ensure the ethical and effective development of applications in this field.

Keywords

• e-health
• m-health
• intervention
• mental health
• psychology