Use of Mobile Mindfulness Apps in Young Adults With Depression: Results From a Cross-Sectional Survey

Public Significance Statement Young adults with severe or extreme depression may be more likely to use mindfulness apps than those with lower levels to depression. These young people also reported that they intended to use these to improve their mental well-being. However, although they were more likely to use these apps, they were also more likely to indicate that they were not as helpful as those with lower levels of depression. With increasing smartphone ownership, studies have examined whether mobile mindfulness applications (MMAs) can reduce depression symptoms. However, no studies have examined how real-world, self-directed MMA use may differ between depressed and nondepressed populations nor assessed this use in a sample of young adults. An online international survey was conducted with 726 participants, aged 18-30 years taking part, and assessed whether MMA use, perceived helpfulness of MMAs, reasons for and against MMA use, and frequency and recency of MMA use differed across categories of depression severity (no depression N = 229, mild-moderate N = 212, severe-extreme N = 285) as measured via the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) depression subscale. Young adults with severe-extreme depression were more likely to report using MMAs, compared with participants with mild-moderate depression and no depression groups. Participants with severe-extreme depression were most likely to use MMAs for their own well-being, citing knowledge barriers and lack of efficacy as reasons for not using MMAs. Participants with severe-extreme and mild-moderate depression found MMAs less helpful than those with no depression symptoms. These findings suggest young adults with severe depression symptoms may view MMAs as viable self-help tools for mental well-being. Future app development should consider severely depressed populations as potential users and psychologists in practice should further be aware that young adults with severe depression are using mindfulness apps to support their mental health and well-being. Assessment of mindfulness app use by young adults may be important when considering psychological treatment for this population.