Functions, Features, and Psychological Well-Being Impacts of Type 1 Diabetes Self-Management Mobile and Web Apps: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND

People living with type 1 diabetes must adhere to an intense self-care regimen, which may impact their psychological well-being and contribute to poor self-management behaviors. Despite their potential, most mobile health and web-based apps for diabetes management prioritize glycemic control and often overlook psychological well-being. As a result, evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions in improving psychological well-being remains limited, and there is still uncertainty about which functions and features are the most effective.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to assess changes in the psychological well-being of people with type 1 diabetes and identify the functions and features of mobile and web-based interventions that may enhance their psychological well-being.

METHODS

Relevant studies were identified through PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Embase, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with the search conducted at the end of November 2024. Studies were included if they quantitatively assessed the impact of mobile health or web-based apps on psychological well-being in people with type 1 diabetes using validated screening tools. A conventional content analysis approach was used to categorize the functions and features of the included interventions.

RESULTS

In total, 8 of the 2142 articles identified met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Six categories of functions were identified, each incorporating different sets of features: (1) therapy, (2) education, (3) self-management, (4) peer support, (5) health care professional-patient support, and (6) parental support. Only 2 of the 8 studies reported improved psychological well-being. One of these 2 studies included therapy-based interventions, while the other combined self-management, education, and peer support functions. However, the limited number of studies and variability in study design and participant characteristics limited the ability to attribute the effectiveness in improving psychological well-being to specific functions and features or their combinations.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights the limited effectiveness of currently available mobile health and web-based interventions in improving the psychological well-being of people living with type 1 diabetes. While some interventions showed promise, the findings highlight the need for targeted, theory-based approaches; stakeholder involvement in intervention design and development; and combination of functions and features to improve support and long-term outcomes.