Effectiveness of mobile applications as intervention tools in suicidal ideation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective Evaluate the effectiveness of mobile applications developed for intervention in suicide risk in adults. Method Searches for articles were carried out in four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and PsychINFO). For the meta-analyses, we used fixed effect modelling to assess the primary outcome. The PROSPERO register is CRD42020163876. Results After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, six studies remained in the systematic review, of which four were eligible to the meta-analysis. There was no difference, or a little tendency in favor of control condition (usual treatment) comparing with applications. Conclusion Applications can be as effective as standard treatments in reducing suicide ideation. The results should be interpreted with caution once all studies presented at least one bias in their study design.