Ezeonu NA, Hertelendy AJ, Adu MK, et al.
Natural disasters place significant psychological strain on affected populations and relief workers, and mobile applications have been proposed as a scalable tool for mental health support in these settings. This scoping review searched the literature for studies evaluating mobile apps for disaster-related mental health support, identifying 1,398 papers but including only 5 that met inclusion criteria. The apps evaluated included tools such as Training for Life Skills, Sonoma Rises, Headspace, Psychological First Aid, and SAMHSA's Behavioral Health Disaster Response tool, assessed for effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability among people experiencing disaster-related psychological stress or serving as relief workers. The authors conclude that while existing research demonstrates promising potential for mobile apps in pre-, during, and post-disaster mental health support, substantially more investigation is needed before these tools can be widely recommended.
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