Mobile and Wearable Technology for Monitoring Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Abstract Background : Major Depressive Disorder is challenging to diagnose within children and adolescents recurrence is also difficult to predict. This article explores more objective ways of measuring and monitoring mood within this population. Methods : A scoping review of peer-reviewed studies which examined how mobile and wearable tools are characterizing depression within children and/or adolescents was undertaken. Our search strategy explored the following concepts: (1) monitoring or prediction (2) depression (3) mobile apps or wearables and (4) children and youth (including adolescents), and was applied to five databases. Results : Our search produced 829 citations (2008- Feb 2019), of which 30 (journal articles, conference papers and abstracts) were included in the analysis, and 2 reviews included in our discussion. The evidence base was heterogeneous, where data collection was primarily from smartphone apps, with a handful of studies using actigraphy. Mobile and wearables captured a variety of data including unobtrusive passive analytics, movement and light data, plus physical and mental health data, including depressive symptom monitoring. Outcomes were varied, with most studies describing feasibility. Limitations : This review was limited to published research in the English language. The review criteria excluded any apps that were mainly treatment focused, therefore there was not much of a focus on clinical outcomes. Conclusions : This scoping review yielded a variety of studies with heterogeneous populations, research methods and study objectives, which limited our ability to address our research objectives cohesively. Certain mobile technologies, however, have demonstrated feasibility for tracking depression that could inform models for predicting relapse.