Brenna Renn and Tess Walker (both Psychology) published the results for their fully remote randomized controlled trial of Sanvello, a commercially-available digital mental health app in an article titled, "." The main trial outcome detailing improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders with collaboration from co-authors from Sanvello (now AbleTo/Optum Health) and the University of Washington. Among a sample of 280 US adults, eight weeks of self-guided app use (intended to mimic real-world use) was associated with greater decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms and higher proportion of treatment response. Quality of life did not vary by treatment condition. Notably, app engagement varied widely among users and continues to be a hurdle and consideration for researchers and clinicians using digital mental health interventions.
