Mobile applications for children’s mental health: a scoping review

Résumé fourni par la source

Objective: to map scientific evidence and grey literature regarding mobile applications aimed at the mental health of children aged 1 to 10 years. Method: a scoping review conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported following the PRISMA-ScR recommendations. The search strategy will use controlled descriptors and free terms related to child mental health, child psychiatry, mobile applications, and educational technologies. Searches will be performed in the MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Virtual Health Library (LILACS) databases, in addition to grey literature through ProQuest, Google Play Store, and Apple App Store. Studies involving children aged 1 to 10 years and mobile applications related to child mental health will be included, with no time or language restrictions. Study selection will be carried out by two independent reviewers in two stages: title and abstract screening and full-text reading. Data will be extracted using a standardized form and analyzed descriptively and narratively. Expected results: it is expected to identify mobile applications used in promoting child mental health and to characterize functionalities, contexts of use, target audiences, and existing gaps in the scientific literature. Conclusion: the review may contribute to the organization of available evidence on mobile technologies applied to child mental health, supporting future research, technological development, and decision-making in health and education. The protocol will be registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF).