Cited by 439Digital Mental Health InterventionsMental Health Treatment and AccessMobile Health and mHealth Applications

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 186 of the 186 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Internet- and Mobile-Based Psychological Interventions: Applications, Efficacy, and Potential for Improving Mental Health: A Report of the EFPA E-Health Taskforce

Open access
Ebert, David D., Van Daele, Tom, Nordgreen, Tine, Karekla, Maria, Compare, Angelo, Zarbo, Cristina, Brugnera, Agostino, Øverland, Svein, Trebbi, Glauco, Jensen, Kit L., Kaehlke, Fanny, Baumeister, Harald·2018·European Psychologist

Abstract

Abstract. The majority of mental health disorders remain untreated. Many limitations of traditional psychological interventions such as limited availability of evidence-based interventions and clinicians could potentially be overcome by providing Internet- and mobile-based psychological interventions (IMIs). This paper is a report of the Taskforce E-Health of the European Federation of Psychologists’ Association and will provide an introduction to the subject, discusses areas of application, and reviews the current evidence regarding the efficacy of IMIs for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Meta-analyses based on randomized trials clearly indicate that therapist-guided stand-alone IMIs can result in meaningful benefits for a range of indications including, for example, depression, anxiety, insomnia, or posttraumatic stress disorders. The clinical significance of results of purely self-guided interventions is for many disorders less clear, especially with regard to effects under routine care conditions. Studies on the prevention of mental health disorders (MHD) are promising. Blended concepts, combining traditional face-to-face approaches with Internet- and mobile-based elements might have the potential of increasing the effects of psychological interventions on the one hand or to reduce costs of mental health treatments on the other hand. We also discuss mechanisms of change and the role of the therapist in such approaches, contraindications, potential limitations, and risk involved with IMIs, briefly review the status of the implementation into routine health care across Europe, and discuss confidentiality as well as ethical aspects that need to be taken into account, when implementing IMIs. Internet- and mobile-based psychological interventions have high potential for improving mental health and should be implemented more widely in routine care.

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Crossref · 10.1027/1016-9040/a000318

Cites

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  • Most online interventions are grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with the majority of these using traditional CBT techniques.

    “Most online interventions are grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with the majority of these using traditional CBT techniques (e.g. cognitive restructuring, progressive muscle relaxation, etc.; Ebert et al., 2018; Fleming et al., 2018).”

    From A systematic review and meta-analysis of self-guided online acceptance and commitment therapy as a transdiagnostic self-help intervention (2023) · cites this paper as Ebert et al., 2018

    The Theoretical Basis section (page unavailable) says that the majority of evaluated internet- and mobile-based interventions are built on standard CBT principles. It does not establish that most online interventions overall use CBT, or that a majority of the CBT-based interventions use the specific techniques named in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Internet- and mobile-based interventions are effective in treating and preventing a broad range of disorders.

    “They are effective in treating and preventing a broad range of disorders (19, 20), yet uptake remains low as students lack knowledge and experience with IMI but show positive attitudes towards apps (i.e., future expectations and less fear of risks) (21).”

    From Mental health services for German university students: acceptance of intervention targets and preference for delivery modes (2024) · cites this paper as [19]

    The 'IMIs compared to untreated control groups' section reports efficacy for depression, anxiety, and several other disorders, supporting treatment across a broad range. The 'Areas of Application' section includes prevention as a use of IMIs, but the passages found do not establish that they effectively prevent a broad range of disorders. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Telehealth interventions can be used flexibly in time and location and thus facilitate health care access.

    “A promising approach to address the challenge of low uptake of mental health services could be telehealth interventions which can be used flexibly in time and location and thus, facilitate health care access (Ebert et al., 2018; Snoswell et al., 2021).”

    From How to promote usage of telehealth interventions for farmers' mental health? A qualitative study on supporting and hindering aspects for acceptance and satisfaction with a personalized telephone coaching for depression prevention (2023) · cites this paper as Ebert et al., 2018

    The Areas of Application section says that the temporal and spatial independence of stand-alone internet- and mobile-based interventions facilitates access to care. It distinguishes these from “telehealth interventions (live therapy online),” which it says can transcend space but not time. The claim therefore overgeneralizes the time flexibility to telehealth interventions as a whole. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • There is still much to learn about the needs and best way of providing digital interventions for people with medical conditions, despite substantial evidence in mental health.

    “While there is already substantial evidence in the area of digital interventions in the field of mental health, there is still much to learn about the needs and best way of providing digital interventions for people with medical conditions (Ebert et al., 2018).”

    From Special issue on digital health interventions in chronic medical conditions: Editorial (2022) · cites this paper as Ebert et al., 2018

    The Conclusion describes an established evidence base for some mental-health conditions and says further research is needed on how to combine digital and face-to-face care. The Areas of Application section calls interventions in chronic somatic care a promising application, but does not specifically say that the needs of people with medical conditions or the best way to deliver interventions to them remain unknown. Our copy provides no page numbers for these passages. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Research on IMIs has so far almost exclusively focused on stand-alone IMIs, i.e., online interventions used as an alternative to on-site treatment.

    “The research on IMIs has so far almost exclusively focused on stand-alone IMIs, i.e., online interventions that are used as an alternative to on-site treatment (8, 9).”

    From Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness of PSYCHOnlineTHERAPY: Study Protocol of a Multicenter Blended Outpatient Psychotherapy Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial for Patients With Depressive and Anxiety Disorders (2021) · cites this paper as [8]

    The 'IMIs compared to untreated control groups' section says stand-alone interventions are especially well researched and that significantly less evidence exists for blended interventions. This supports the direction of the claim, but not its stronger assertion that research has focused almost exclusively on stand-alone IMIs. Page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Ebert D. D., 2017, JAMA Psychiatry, 1, 205
  2. Ebert D. D., 2016, Diabetic Medicine, 46, 2679
  3. Enander J., 2016, BMJ, 352
  4. Kleiboer A., 2016, Trials, 17
  5. Mateo G. F., 2015, Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17
  6. Olthuis J. V., 2015, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3, CD011565
  7. 10.1111/cpsp.12173 · DOI · Paper page
  8. Van Daele T., 2015, De Psycholoog, 34

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Metadata

Authors
Ebert, D. D., Van Daele, T., Nordgreen, T., Karekla, M., Compare, A., Zarbo, C., Brugnera, A., Øverland, S., Trebbi, G., Jensen, K. L., Kaehlke, F., & Baumeister, H.
Affiliations
  • Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
  • Department of Applied Psychology, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Antwerp, Belgium
  • Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
  • University of Cyprus (CY)
  • University of Bergamo (IT)
  • SuperEgo AS, Trondheim, Norway
  • Trebbipsicologie, Luxembourg & Societé Luxembourgeoise de Psychologie SLP, Luxembourg
  • Private Practice, Skagen, Denmark
  • Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
  • Universität Ulm (DE)
Venue
European Psychologist
Published
2018-05
Volume
23
Issue
2
Pages
167-187
ISSN
  • 1016-9040 (ISSN-L)
  • 1878-531X
OpenAlex
W2803511537
Cited by
437
References
179
Citations by year
2026: 34 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 65 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 55 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 12
FWCI
51.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Locations
  • European Psychologist (publishedVersion)
  • Bournemouth University Research Online (Bournemouth University) (acceptedVersion)
  • Bournemouth University Research Online (Bournemouth University) (submittedVersion)
  • Aisberg (University of Bergamo) (submittedVersion)
  • BOA (University of Milano-Bicocca) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Keywords
online psychological intervention, e-mental health, depression, anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental disorder prevention, blended intervention, therapist-guided intervention, self-guided intervention, mechanisms of change, confidentiality, implementation in routine care, treatment costs

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