The Nature Partner Journal (NPJ) has published a review written by several members of our MindTech team and Institute of Mental Health colleagues. 'Preventive digital mental health interventions for children and young people: a review of the design and reporting of research' has been written by Dr Aislinn Bergin, Dr Elvira Perez Vallejos, Dr Bethan Davies, Professor David Daley, Professor Richard Morriss, Professor Kapil Sayal and Professor Chris Hollis. 

Digital health interventions (DHIs) have frequently been highlighted as one way to respond to increasing levels of mental health problems in children and young people. Whilst many are developed to address existing mental health problems, there is also potential for DHIs to address prevention and early intervention. However, there are currently limitations in the design and reporting of the development, evaluation and implementation of preventive DHIs that can limit their adoption into real-world practice. This scoping review aimed to examine existing evidence-based DHI interventions and review how well the research literature described factors that researchers need to include in their study designs and reports to support real-world implementation. 

Dr Aislinn Bergin highlighted the purpose and importance of the review in the current circumstances:

'The Covid19 pandemic has cast a stark light onto the mental health needs of our children and young people. This timely review addresses the design and reporting of current research surrounding the prevention of mental illness in children and young people using digital interventions and makes recommendations on how research can better report the factors associated with more successful implementation. Digital mental health interventions will better serve children and young people through co-design processes that ensure relevance to the population, and setting, into which it is hoped to be adopted. This review also identified a significant gap in research of preventive interventions for younger children and those from poorer and underserved backgrounds. It is imperative that these interventions build an evidence base that is generalisable to populations where there is most need and potential benefit. This requires research funding that recognises and accounts for the challenges of real-world dissemination along with more collaborative approaches between developers, researchers, clinicians and, most importantly, children and young people.' 

Read the full review.