ArticleJMIR human factors2025
Mobile-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Health Care Workers' Mental Health in Ecuador: Quasi-Experimental Study.
Article in JMIR human factors, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and burnout, have become increasingly prevalent among health care workers, who face high-stress environments, limited resources, and long working hours. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these issues, especially in regions like Latin America, where health care professionals experience heightened anxiety and depression. The urgent need for mental health support has prompted the development of mobile health (mHealth) solutions. These tools offer accessible, confidential interventions that help reduce stigma and encourage engagement. The "Psicovida" mobile app was designed to provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based activities tailored to health care workers, supporting them in managing stress, anxiety, and depression. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Psicovida, a mobile app that delivers CBT-based interventions, in reducing depressive symptoms and emotional distress among health care workers over a 3-month period. Methods: A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized controlled study was conducted with health care workers at a public hospital in Ecuador. Participants were recruited offline and assigned to either an intervention group that used the Psicovida app or a control group that received no intervention. The app provided weekly CBT-based tasks focused on stress management, cognitive restructuring, and emotional regulation. Data collection included demographic information, with mental health outcomes assessed pre- and postintervention using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depression and the General Health Questionnaire-12 to assess overall psychological well-being. Results: A total of 211 health care workers participated, with 88 in the intervention group and 96 in the control group, and 29 participants dropped out. Among the intervention group, adherence varied: 34% (30/88) used the app consistently for 10-12 weeks, 42% (37/88) for 7-9 weeks, and 24% (21/88) for fewer than 6 weeks. Significant improvements in mental health outcomes were observed among app users. The intervention group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms, with PHQ-9 scores decreasing significantly (P<.001; 95% CI 6.17-9.36). Within this group, 20% (18/88) achieved complete remission of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores <5), 32% (28/88) showed mild symptoms (PHQ-9 scores=5-9), and 48% (42/88) remained in the range requiring treatment referral (PHQ-9 scores ≥10). General Health Questionnaire-12 scores similarly showed substantial improvement in psychological well-being (P<.001; 95% CI 3.99-5.58). Conclusions: The Psicovida mobile app demonstrates promise as an accessible, effective tool for reducing depression and anxiety among health care workers through CBT-based interventions. This study highlights the potential of mHealth technology to deliver targeted mental health support, especially in resource-limited settings. Future research should focus on evaluating long-term impacts and broader applications in varied health care environments.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.