Mobile App Shows Promise in Addressingโ Depression Among Rural Indian Women
NEW DELHI – Aโค new pilot study indicates a mobile health application, designed for use within community self-help groups, is both feasible and acceptable for addressing depression among women in rural India, and demonstrates preliminary evidence โขof effectiveness. Teh findings, published today, offer a potential scalable solution to a critical mental health gap in underserved populations.
The Multiuser Interactive โขHealth Response application (MITHRA) – โคbuilt on the principlesโ of behavioral activation – โขutilizes audio,โฃ video, and touchscreen technology to overcome barriers related to illiteracy and limited access to customary mental healthcare. Developed collaboratively โwith end-users,MITHRA is deployed on tablets within existing women’s self-help groups (shgs),community-based organizations common in India. This โapproach leverages establishedโค social networks to deliver accessible mental health support.
Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial, assigning sixโ SHGs to โขeither the MITHRA intervention or enhanced usual care (EUC), where participants received a single educational module on depression symptoms. Women in bothโข groups completed the Patientโ Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) during SHG meetings, and were assigned modules within MITHRA based on their scores. โthe study focused on assessingโ feasibility,acceptability,and preliminary effectiveness.
Results showed high completion rates, with 96% of participants in โขthe MITHRA group completing at โleast half of theirโข assigned modules. Whileโ the study was not powered for definitive effectiveness conclusions,researchers observed statistically significant improvementsโ in depressive symptoms (PHQ-9,P=.037) and functioning (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale, P=.005) at six months in theโ MITHRA group compared to the EUC group.
“MITHRA is feasible and acceptable for use inโ women’s SHGs,” the study concludes, recommending larger trials to further evaluate its โคeffectiveness. The โresearch highlights the potential of mobile technology to bridge the gap in mental healthcare access for vulnerable populations, particularly in resource-constrainedโ settings.
Keywords: community-based; depression; mobile mentalโ health; rural; women.