The application of e-mental health in response to COVID-19: A review and bibliometric analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Ann Ellis ◽  
Isabelle Meulenbroeks ◽  
Kate Churruca ◽  
Chiara Pomare ◽  
Sarah Hatem ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation measures such as shelter-in-place orders, social isolation, restrictions on freedoms, unemployment, financial insecurity and disrupted routines, have led to unprecedented declines in mental health worldwide and concomitant escalating demands for mental health services. Under the circumstances, e-mental health programs and services have rapidly become the “new normal”. OBJECTIVE To assess current trends and evidence gaps in the e-mental health literature published in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic via a scoping review and bibliometric analysis. METHODS A search of four academic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL) published from 31st December 2019 to 31st March 2021 using keywords for e-mental health and COVID-19. Article information was extracted relevant to the review objective including journal, type of article, keywords, focus and corresponding author. Information was synthesised by coding these attributes, then summarised through descriptive statistics and narrative techniques. Article influence was examined from Altmetric and CiteScore data, and a network analysis was conducted on article keywords. RESULTS A total of 356 publications were included in the review. Articles on e-mental health quickly thrived early in the pandemic, with most articles being non-empirical, chiefly commentaries or opinions (n = 225, 63.2%). Empirical publications emerged later and becoming more frequent as the pandemic progressed. The United States contributed the most articles (n = 160, 44.9%), though a notable number came from middle-income countries (n = 59, 16.6). Articles were spread across 165 journals, and were of above-average-influence (almost half of the articles were in the top 25% of outputs scores by Altmetric and the average CiteScore across articles was 4.22). The network analysis of author supplied keywords identified key topic areas, including specific: mental health disorders; e-health modalities; issues and challenges; and populations of interest. These were further explored via full-text analysis. Applications of e-mental health during the pandemic overcame, or were influenced by system, service, technology, provider and patient factors. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 has accelerated applications of e-mental health. Sustained adoption of e-mental health will require evidence to support the implementation of the required technologies across system and service infrastructure alongside evidence of the relative effectiveness of e-mental health in comparison to traditional modes of care. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Lea Fernandes ◽  
Stephanie Cantrill ◽  
Raj Kamal ◽  
Ram Lal Shrestha

Much of the literature about mental illness in low and middle income countries (LMICs) focuses on prevalence rates, the treatment gap, and scaling up access to medical expertise and treatment. As a cause and consequence of this, global mental health programs have focused heavily on service delivery without due exploration of how programs fit into a broader picture of culture and community. There is a need for research which highlights approaches to broader inclusion, considering historical, cultural, social, and economic life contexts and recognises the community as a determinant of mental health — in prevention, recovery, resilience, and support of holistic wellness. The purpose of this practice review is to explore the experiences of three local organisations working with people with psychosocial disability living in LMICs: Afghanistan, India, and Nepal. All three organisations have a wealth of experience in implementing mental health programs, and the review brings together evidence of this experience from interviews, reports, and evaluations. Learnings from these organisations highlight both successful approaches to strengthening inclusion and the challenges faced by people with psychosocial disability, their families, and communities.  The findings can largely be summarised in two categories, although both are very much intertwined: first, a broad advocacy, public health, and policy approach to inclusion; and second, more local, community-based initiatives. The evidence draws attention to the need to acknowledge the complexities surrounding mental health and inclusion, such as additional stigmatisation due to multidimensional poverty, gender inequality, security issues, natural disasters, and additional stressors associated with access. Organisational experiences also highlight the need to work with communities’ strengths to increase capacity around inclusion and to apply community development approaches where space is created for communities to generate holistic solutions. Most significantly, approaches at all levels require efforts to ensure that people with psychosocial disability are given a voice and are included in shaping programs, policies, and appropriate responses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Musa Gimba ◽  
Paul Harris ◽  
Amornrat Saito ◽  
Hyacinth Udah ◽  
Averil Martin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Secondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide promotional, preventive, and early treatment services. But the literature indicates that the modules of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early treatment), in LMIC’s such as Nigeria. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of the review was to identify modules of school based mental health programs that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMIC.Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by one of the authors and reviewed by two of the authors.Results Following the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: introduction module, communication and relationship module, psychoeducation module, cognitive skills module, behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module.Conclusion The review shed light on the characteristics of the programs in LMIC. Two programs were universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one programs out of the 11 programs, included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMIC was also revealed. The review also revealed modules that can be useful for developing a school based mental health program.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Musa Gimba ◽  
Paul Harris ◽  
Amornrat Saito ◽  
Hyacinth Udah ◽  
Averil Martin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Secondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide promotional, preventive, and early treatment services. But the literature indicates that the components of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early treatment), in LMICs such as Nigeria. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of the review was to identify components of school based mental health programs that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMICs. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by one of the authors and reviewed by two of the authors. Results Following the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: introduction module, communication and relationship module, psychoeducation module, cognitive skills module, behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module. Conclusion The review shed light on the characteristics of the programs in LMICs. Two programs were universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one programs out of the 11 programs, included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMICs was also revealed. The review also revealed modules that can be useful for developing a school based mental health program in LMICs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Musa Gimba ◽  
Paul Harris ◽  
Amornrat Saito ◽  
Hyacinth Udah ◽  
Averil Martin ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundSecondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide health promotion, preventive, and early intervention services. Nevertheless, literature indicates that the modules of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention), in LMICs such as Nigeria. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of this review was thus to identify the modules of school-based mental health programs (SBMHP) that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMIC.MethodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by the first author and reviewed by the authors.ResultsFollowing the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: an introduction module, a communication and relationship module, a psychoeducation module, a cognitive skills module, a behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module.ConclusionThis review sheds light on the characteristics of the programs in LMICs. Two programs were found to be universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups, and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one program out of the 11 programs included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMICs was also revealed. Lastly, the review revealed seven modules that can be useful for developing a SBMHP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Musa Gimba ◽  
Paul Harris ◽  
Amornrat Saito ◽  
Hyacinth Udah ◽  
Averil Martin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Secondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide health promotion, preventive, and early intervention services. Nevertheless, literature indicates that the modules of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention), in LMICs. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of this review was thus to identify the modules of school-based mental health programs (SBMHP) that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMIC country. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by the first author and reviewed by the authors. Results Following the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: an introduction module, a communication and relationship module, a psychoeducation module, a cognitive skills module, a behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module. Conclusion This review sheds light on the characteristics of the programs in LMICs. Two programs were found to be universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups, and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one program out of the 11 programs included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMICs was also revealed. Lastly, the review revealed seven modules that can be useful for developing a SBMHP.


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