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Adolescents' and youths' perceived barriers and facilitators to engaging with digital mental health interventions for depression and anxiety: A scoping review

Year: 2025

Type: review

Abstract: Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) can be effective for adolescents and young people experiencing depression and anxiety. However, maintaining engagement remains a persistent challenge. While internal factors such as interface design, interactivity and personalisation have been widely examined, less is known about how young people themselves perceive barriers and facilitators to engaging with these tools. This scoping review explores adolescents' and young people's perceived experiences of engagement with DMHIs. A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus and PsycInfo identified 37 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis revealed a broad range of perceived facilitators, including accessibility, perceived usefulness, opportunities for social connection and supportive human involvement. Commonly reported barriers included stigma, privacy concerns, low motivation, lack of personalisation, technical difficulties and limited trust in the interventions. Notably, most studies reported these perceptions qualitatively, with limited systematic assessment of their impact on engagement. This highlights a gap in the evidence base and underscores the need for future research to quantify how perceived barriers and facilitators shape engagement and adherence. Addressing barriers while building on facilitators may enhance sustained engagement and improve the real-world effectiveness of DMHIs for adolescent mental health. • Perceived barriers and facilitators affecting digital mental health engagement have not been a direct research focus. • Access, credibility, and social connection positively influence engagement. • Stigma, privacy concerns, and lack of human interaction negatively impact engagement. • Reported barriers and facilitators were identified qualitatively; their impact is still unquantified.

Source: Internet Interventions

DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2025.100884

Authors: Vajisha Udayangi Wanniarachchi, Chris Greenhalgh, Jim Warren

Institutions: University of Auckland, University of Nottingham

Language: English

Topic: Digital Mental Health Interventions

Subfield: Applied Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,980