Digital health interventions for improving mental health outcomes and wellbeing for adults with diabetes: A systematic review

AIMS: Digital interventions have emerged as promising tools to support mental well-being in diabetes. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of digital health interventions in improving mental health outcomes among adults with diabetes, as well as assess the methodological quality of relevant studies and provide a commentary on research gaps and future directions. METHODS: Medline, Embase, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched until August 2024. Studies were included if they involved adults, assessed at least one psychological measure as a primary outcome at 2 or more time points, used a scalable digital health intervention, employed random or quasi-random allocation to at least one experimental group, and were published within the last five years (January 2019 to August 2024). RESULTS: Of 7033 articles screened, 13 met inclusion criteria. Evidence showed the most promise for improvements to self-efficacy and quality of life. Artificial Intelligence based tools showed potential for reducing diabetes distress, while reductions in anxiety were most apparent in interventions using cognitive behavioural therapy. No consistent improvements were found for depression. CONCLUSIONS: Digital health interventions show promise for enhancing self-efficacy and health-related quality of life in adults with diabetes. Future research should prioritise psychological theory integration and inclusion of young adults.