Sociodemographic Factors and Acceptability of Digital Mental Health
Shalini Lal
The role of sociodemographic factors on the acceptability of digital mental health care: A scoping review
Project Summary
This scoping review investigated demographic differences in the acceptability of digital mental health innovations (DMHI). While DMHI have the potential to address barriers to traditional mental health services, it is important to ensure that such innovations do not exacerbate existing health disparities among underserved and marginalized populations.
The review synthesized 42 articles published between 2013 and 2023, most of which were conducted in the United States and focused on web-based programs.
Key findings show that demographic differences in acceptability were most frequently identified based on age and gender. Notably, adolescents generally found DMHI less acceptable than children and young adults, while women tended to report greater perceived acceptability of DMHI in comparison to men. Differences in acceptability based on participants' education level, race/ethnicity, and health status varied across studies. None of the studies reported notable differences in DMHI acceptability based on sexual orientation.
Limitations include the large number of included studies with observational designs, the lack of studies conducted outside of North America and Western Europe, as well as important variations in the conceptualization of acceptability. Future reviews should focus on qualitative studies examining demographic differences in DMHI acceptability, as these can provide more in-depth insights into the factors explaining such differences.
This scoping review’s protocol is available here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11051634/#funding-statement1
Stay tuned for the complete publication!
Funders
The authors received no specific funding for this work.
Contact person
Shalini Lal, Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc.O.T. (Reg.QC)
Email: ymhtechlab@gmail.com