The digital mental health space is moving fast and we know it can be hard to keep up. Here’s a snap shot of some of the latest research we’ve come across.
Effectiveness of digital mental health
Exploring the effectiveness of digital interventions and support tools across multiple disorders, audiences and settings.
Single N, Mishelle Graham W, Kelson J, Sulikowski D. Effectiveness and User Experience of Immersive Virtual Reality in Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Systematic Review. JMIR Ment Health. 2025 Dec 12;12:e71963. doi: 10.2196/71963. PMID: 41385780; PMCID: PMC12700514.
Wilhelm, S., Greenberg, J.L., Jacoby, R.J. et al. A randomized clinical trial of app cognitive behavior therapy vs. HealthWatch for obsessive compulsive disorder. npj Digit. Med. 8, 800 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-02230-9
Staples L, Fisher A, Dear B, Nielssen O and Titov N (2026) Single-item measures in digital mental healthcare: a mini narrative review of challenges and opportunities. Front. Digit. Health 8:1761107. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1761107
Implementation of digital mental health
Studies advancing our understanding of how digital mental health interventions can be implemented in real-world settings, and key factors influencing engagement.
Jarva, E., Oikarinen, A., Andersson, J., Tomietto, M., Mikkonen, K., & et al. (2026). Digital health competence among healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional cluster analysis across 19 countries and regions. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 176, Article 105348.
Krahe, M.A., Baker, S., Woods, L. and Larkins, S.L. (2025), Factors That Influence Digital Health Implementation in Rural, Regional, and Remote Australia: An Overview of Reviews and Recommended Strategies. Aust J Rural Health, 33: e70045. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70045
Barker M, Hews-Girard J, Pinston K, Daniel S, Volcko L, Norman L, Bassi E, Bright K, Hickie I, Iorfino F, LaMonica H, Moskovic K, Fersovitch M, Bradley J, Stamp L, Gondziola J, Johnson D, Dimitropoulos G. Organizational factors impacting the implementation of a digital mental health tool in Alberta’s mental health care of youth and young adults. Digit Health. 2025 Jan 9;11:20552076241310341. doi: 10.1177/20552076241310341. PMID: 39801578; PMCID: PMC11719437.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in digital mental health
Exploring the evolving role of AI in mental health care, especially with digital mental health resources.
A paradigm shift in progress: Generative AI’s evolving role in mental health care
Torous J, Cipriani A. A Paradigm Shift in Progress: Generative AI’s Evolving Role in Mental Health Care. JMIR Ment Health. 2025 Dec 17;12:e82369. doi: 10.2196/82369. PMID: 41405973; PMCID: PMC12710723.
Lu E, Zhang D, Han M, Wang S, He L. The application of artificial intelligence in insomnia, anxiety, and depression: A bibliometric analysis. DIGITAL HEALTH. 2025;11. doi:10.1177/20552076251324456
Digital mental health landscape
Key developments shaping the global and Australian digital mental health landscape.
The typing is on the wall: Australia’s healthcare future needs a digitally capable workforce
Woods, Leanna, (PhD,Research Fellow), Janssen, Anna, (PhD,Senior Lecturer), Robertson, Samantha, (BHIthSc (Nuts & Diet) Hons,Research Assistant), Morgan, Clare, (PhD,Research Director), Butler-Henderson, K., Burton-Jones, A., & Sullivan, Clair,(M.D., Director). (2023). The typing is on the wall: Australia’s healthcare future needs a digitally capable workforce. Australian Health Review, 47(5), 553-558. doi:https://doi.org/10.1071/AH23142
Macauley J, Bower M, Webster E, Harris M, Teesson M, Chapman C. Health services and digital technologies used for mental health among a national cross-sectional sample of young people in Australia 2020–2022: Patterns and correlates within geographic regions. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/00048674251389790
Hou J, Gibson J, Phi T, Ritchie B, Gallagher L, Strudwick G, Foussias G, Courtney DB, Voineskos A, Ameis S, Cleverley K, Hawke LD. Designing digital conversational agents for youth with multiple mental health conditions: Insights on key features from a youth-engaged qualitative descriptive study. Digit Health. 2025 Mar 28;11:20552076251330550. doi: 10.1177/20552076251330550. PMID: 40162180; PMCID: PMC11951898.
About the author
