Digital Health Interventions and the Psychological Needs of Youth With Chronic Diseases: A Scoping Review

ObjectivesDigital health interventions (DHIs) are increasingly used to support chronic disease management and psychological needs of young people. Yet, evidence on how psychological support is integrated and youths are involved remains limited. This scoping review mapped the characteristics of DHIs, physical and psychological outcomes, youth involvement, and implementation challenges.MethodsFollowing PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a systematic search of studies published between 2015 and 2026 was conducted through PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Google Scholar. Eligible studies included those evaluating DHIs for young people (10-24 years) with chronic diseases and reported at least one psychological or psychosocial outcome. Data were extracted on intervention characteristics, psychological support components, physical and psychological outcomes, youth involvement, and implementation challenges.Results19 studies were included. Mobile apps and telehealth were the most common type of intervention, with cognitive behavioural therapy being the most frequently incorporated psychological framework. Psychological outcomes integrated and evaluated within DHIs varied across studies. Youth participation in the DHI design was generally limited to consultations rather than co-design. Common implementation barriers included low engagement and issues with digital access.ConclusionConsiderable heterogeneity exists in psychological support approaches, intervention characteristics, and youth participation during DHIs development. Future DHIs should explicitly prioritize meaningful integration of psychological support and youth involvement.