Digital psychosocial interventions for individuals with spinal cord injury: a scoping review

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2024 · DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1289138 · Published: January 22, 2024

Spinal Cord Injury Mental Health Telehealth & Digital Health

Simple Explanation

This review explores digital mental health care options for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). It looks at interventions like internet programs, mobile apps, and virtual reality. Digital interventions can overcome structural and physical barriers to adequate face-to-face treatments. The review examines how these interventions are designed and what makes them helpful.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Sample sizes ranged from 1 to 184

Evidence Level

Systematic Review of RCTs and non-RCTs

Key Findings

1
Digital applications to promote the psychosocial health of individuals with SCI are an emerging field of research with many treatment approaches still to come.
2
CBT as an evidence-based theoretical foundation was well suited as an online-based intervention due to its directiveness and standardisation.
3
Interventions based on a theory such as CBT in particular have achieved their goals.

Research Summary

This scoping review provides an overview of digital psychosocial interventions for individuals with SCI, assessing their organization in terms of indication, theory, support, and technology to identify beneficial characteristics. The review identified twelve Internet and mobile-based interventions, five apps, and three virtual reality applications evaluated in randomized and non-randomized clinical trials, suggesting potential to enrich mental health and well-being despite a lack of strong evidence. Factors such as evidence-based theoretical foundation, human support, structure, and regular module frequency positively influence the outcomes of these interventions, yet the field remains underserved due to a lack of high-quality studies.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice

The findings can inform the development and implementation of digital psychosocial interventions tailored to the needs of individuals with SCI.

Further Research

Highlights the need for more rigorous research, particularly randomized controlled trials, to determine the crucial features, long-term effects, and generalizability of digital interventions for this population.

Policy and Resource Allocation

The review supports the allocation of resources toward developing and evaluating digital mental health services for individuals with SCI, addressing the psychosocial care gap.

Study Limitations

1
The review may have missed some online interventions due to database and language restrictions.
2
The rapidly evolving nature of digital interventions means the findings may not fully represent the current state of research.
3
Heterogeneity in study designs and intervention approaches limited meta-analytic evaluations and generalizability.

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