170218 20260407115449.0 doi 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2026.03.008 sideral 148710 ART-2026-148710 eng González-Robles, Alberto Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-3749-3756 Mobile app-based psychological interventions for depression and anxiety in primary care: A systematic review and meta-analysis 2026 Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of mobile app-based psychological interventions in reducing distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and improving quality of life among adults in primary care (PC). Methods: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving adults with depression and/or anxiety identified through searches of PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to April 11, 2025. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) and relative risks (RRs) were pooled using fixed- and random-effects models. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2 tool. Results: Eleven RCTs (N = 2915) met inclusion criteria, contributing 15 comparisons to the meta-analysis (N = 2588; intervention vs. treatment as usual). Pooled analyses showed a significant reduction in overall distress (SMD = −0.44; 95% CI –0.68 to −0.21, p < 0.001) and a moderate decrease in depressive symptoms (SMD = −0.53, 95% CI –0.81 to −0.24, p < 0.001). Limited evidence from four comparisons showed no significant effect on anxiety (SMD = −0.25, 95% CI –0.68 to 0.18, p = 0.26). A small but significant improvement in quality of life was found (SMD = 0.16, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.25, p = 0.001). Participants using apps were more likely to drop out at post-treatment than controls (RR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.79, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Mobile app-based interventions appear to reduce distress and depressive symptoms and modestly improve quality of life in PC, although no significant effects were observed for anxiety. These findings support the potential role of app-based interventions as accessible tools within primary care. However, the limited and heterogeneous reporting of follow-up assessments restricts conclusions about the durability of these effects over time. Higher dropout rates also highlight the need to improve adherence strategies. Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MCIU/PID2024-156740OA-I00 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Romero-Ferreiro, Verónica Roca, Pablo Rodríguez-Jiménez, Tíscar Universidad de Zaragoza Díaz-García, Amanda Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-4398-4014 4009 680 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Psicología y Sociología Área Person.Eval.Trat.Psicoló. 100 (2026), 62-71 Gen. hosp. psych. GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY 0163-8343 2311509 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/170218/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2376313 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/170218/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:170218 articulos driver 2026-03-26-14:31:56 ARTICLE