A "growth mindset of mental health" intervention increases the likelihood of initiating self-help on a mental health app: a randomized controlled trial
In brief
A brief mindset intervention increased repeat app use among participants with poorer well-being
In a randomized trial of 252 people, a brief message framing mental health as improvable increased the likelihood of completing a second self-help feature among participants with worse baseline well-being over three months. Some symptom groups also engaged with low- or moderate-intensity features; whether this approach leads to sustained app use or better mental health remains unknown.
- Journal
- NPJ digital medicine (Q1)
- Published
- 13 October 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Sean H Y Toh, E J Horberg, Feodora R Kosasih, Oliver Sündermann, Paul A O'Keefe
- PMID
- 42918839
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41746-026-03322-w
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Psychiatry and Mental Health (top studies of the week, 1 November 2026): Randomized intervention promotes mental-health self-help app engagement
Abstract
Mental health apps hold potential to improve access to treatment, but engagement remains low. One barrier may be the belief that mental health cannot be meaningfully improved. In a randomized controlled trial (N = 252), we examined whether a brief growth-mindset-of-mental-health intervention-portraying mental health as improvable, not fixed-can initiate mental health app engagement among people with mental health needs. Participants completed baseline well-being measures (stress, anxiety and depression, and positive mental well-being) and were randomly assigned to the growth-mindset-of-mental-health or active control condition. Over the subsequent three months, we tracked whether they re-engaged with the app overall (i.e., completed at least a second self-help feature), and with features categorized as low-, moderate-, and high-intensity. Analyses revealed that participants in the growth-mindset condition (vs. control) with poorer baseline mental well-being (i.e., higher stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and lower positive mental well-being) were significantly more likely to show repeat app engagement. Moreover, those with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms were more likely to show repeat engagement with moderate-intensity features, while those experiencing higher stress and lower positive mental well-being were more likely to do so with both low- and moderate-intensity features. Together, these findings demonstrate the benefits of the growth-mindset intervention for successful initiation of self-help on a mental health app. Trial Registration: The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT07071311) on July 25, 2025.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.