Background: Mental health conditions are one of the leading causes of disability in Canada and worldwide, causing significant financial burdens to individuals, workplaces and the economy. This emphasizes the need to provide accessible support in the workplace to prevent, promote and manage the mental health of the workforce. Mental health apps present a promising medium to scale mental health interventions across the workplace. However, evidence related to how studies are evaluating mental health apps in complex, real-world settings requires careful examination. Purpose: The purpose of this program of research was to synthesize the current state of evidence on the evaluation of mental health apps in the workplace, including an assessment of their effectiveness and to systematically examine the implementation of a mental health app in a workplace as a case study. The first study was a scoping review examining the different approaches studies have used to evaluate mental health apps in the workplace. The second study was a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effectiveness of mental health apps in the workplace. The third study was a mixed-method case study, informed by an implementation science theory to examine factors influencing the uptake and implementation of a mental health app in a mid-sized hospital. Findings: In total, 54 studies were included in the scoping review with main outcomes being: 1. Usage and feedback of the app, 2. Effects of mental health and workplace outcomes or 3. Implementation process. The systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies demonstrated the effectiveness of mental health apps in improving symptoms of distress, depression and anxiety, stress, wellbeing and burnout. mental health as compared to usual care. Findings from the case study indicated the need to carefully consider implementation planning, contextual factors and a fit between the app and the needs of the workers. Implications: This thesis identifies the potential of mental health apps for workplaces and highlights future directions for research to optimize their use and effects. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Mental health issues in the workplace are common and can be costly for organizations and people who are struggling. Mobile applications (apps) can be used to provide mental health support to workers. Through three separate studies, this thesis explores how mental health apps can be used in the workplace. The first study was a review of the literature that indicated that studies using mental health apps look at whether and how they are used, their impact and the process of implementing them in the workplace. The second study was a review of the effects of mental health apps that indicated that apps can bring about a significant change in the symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, burnout and improve wellbeing of workers. The third study was the implementation of a mental health app for healthcare workers, which demonstrated that introducing a mental health app in the workplace will require careful planning and consideration of the different conditions in the workplace that will influence its use. These studies together show that mental health apps have promising effects, but implementation needs to be carefully planned.

Mobile technology is increasingly leveraged for mental health interventions, with users expressing overall satisfaction and finding the apps helpful and user-friendly. While the apps offer diverse features for symptom management, self-help, and treatment support, evidence regarding their effectiveness remains limited, suggesting a need for further research. Usability, engagement, and tailoring to user preferences emerge as critical factors, emphasizing the importance of customization for different populations. This research presented a systematic literature review aimed at evaluating studies specifically focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) apps, with a subsequent quality assessment using the MARS scale. Additionally, the research involves an in-depth analysis of user reviews for these PTSD apps through thematic, and path analysis. The technology acceptance model (TAM) model serves as the framework for path analysis, and the performance of VADER, Flair, and TextBlob is evaluated. Sentiment analysis is then employed to explore relationships among TAM model factors and additional factors derived from the systematic literature review and thematic analysis. In conclusion, this dissertation contributes to the understanding of PTSD apps, their usability, and their potential for mental health support. It underscores the need for further research, customization, and ongoing collaboration to optimize the effectiveness of these applications in managing PTSD symptoms and supporting individuals in their mental health journey.

The rapid growth of Mobile Health (mHealth) applications, particularly those focusedon mental health, has provided accessible and affordable support for users’ well-being.However, this growth has raised substantial privacy concerns, especially regardinghandling sensitive personal health data. This thesis evaluates the extent to whichmental health apps allow users to exercise their Data Subject Rights (DSRs) under theEuropean General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and provides recommendationsfor enhancing data protection and user privacy. The primary objectives are to identifythe relevant DSRs for mental health apps, empirically assess the extent to which suchrights are respected on the existing apps, and propose actionable recommendationsfor improvement. The study’s methodology involved a comprehensive review ofprivacy policies, using automated tools for privacy assessment, and submitting DataSubject Access Requests (DSARs) to app providers. Findings indicate that whilesome apps demonstrate high conformity with DSRs, the majority still falls short invarious aspects. Common issues include inadequate transparency in privacy policies,incomplete responses to DSARs, and non-compliance with the right to data portability.Specifically, only 45.5% of apps responded to the DSARs with a partial or completeanswer, and only 40% of the responses contained data in machine-readable formats,meeting the requirements for data portability. The study emphasizes the need formental health app developers to enhance privacy practices, ensuring users are fullyinformed about data collection and usage, can easily access and delete their personaldata, and receive their data in portable formats. Recommendations include improvingthe clarity and accessibility of privacy policies, adopting best practices for datasecurity, and implementing user-friendly mechanisms for data access and deletion. Inconclusion, while progress has been made in GDPR compliance among mental healthapps, significant improvement is still needed. Addressing these challenges will betterprotect user privacy, build trust, and support the responsible development of digitalhealth technologies. / Den snabba tillväxten av mobila hälsoappar, särskilt de som fokuserar på psykisk hälsa,har gjort det möjligt för användare att få tillgång till prisvärt och lättillgängligt stöd förderas välbefinnande. Men denna tillväxt har också väckt betydande integritetsfrågor,särskilt när det gäller hantering av känsliga personuppgifter om hälsa. Dettaexamensarbete utvärderar i vilken utsträckning hälsoappar för psykisk ohälsa tillåteranvändare att utöva sina rättigheter enligt den europeiska dataskyddsförordningenoch bidrar med rekommendationer för att förbättra dataskydd och användarintegritet.De primära målen är att identifiera relevanta rättigheter för hälsoappar för psykiskohälsa, empiriskt bedöma i vilken utsträckning sådana rättigheter respekteras ibefintliga appar och föreslå konkreta rekommendationer för förbättring. Studienhar genomförts med en omfattande granskning av integritetspolicys, användning avautomatiserade verktyg för integritetsbedömning och inlämning av begäranden omregisterutdrag till applikationsleverantörer. Resultaten visar att även om vissa apparuppvisar hög överensstämmelse med rättigheterna från GDPR, faller majoritetenfortfarande kort på flera områden. Vanliga problem inkluderar otillräcklig transparensi integritetspolicys, ofullständiga svar på DSARs och bristande efterlevnad av rätten tilldataportabilitet. Specifikt svarade endast 45,5% av apparna på DSARs med ett delviseller komplett svar, och endast 40% av svaren innehöll data i maskinläsbara format,vilket uppfyller kraven för dataportabilitet. Studien betonar behovet för utvecklare avhälsoappar för psykisk ohälsa att förbättra deras integritet, säkerställa att användareär fullt informerade om datainsamling och användning, lätt kan komma åt och raderasina personuppgifter samt ta emot sin data i portabla format. Rekommendationerinkluderar att förbättra tydligheten och tillgängligheten av integritetspolicys, antabästa praxis för datasäkerhet och implementera användarvänliga mekanismer fördataåtkomst och radering. Sammanfattningsvis, även om framsteg har gjorts i GDPR-efterlevnad bland hälsoappar för psykisk ohälsa, behövs betydande förbättringar. Attta itu med dessa utmaningar kommer att bättre skydda användarnas integritet, byggaförtroende och stödja den ansvarsfulla utvecklingen av digitala hälsoteknologier.