TY  - JOUR
AU  - Quilty, Lena
AU  - Agic, Branka
AU  - Coombs, Michelle
AU  - Kristy, Betty-Lou
AU  - Shakespeare, Jill
AU  - Spafford, Adrienne
AU  - Besa, Reena
AU  - Dematagoda, Shadini
AU  - Patel, Alina
AU  - Persaud, Rebecca
AU  - Buckley, Leslie
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/6/7
TI  - Benefits of Digital Health Resources for Substance Use Concerns in Women: Scoping Review
JO  - JMIR Ment Health
SP  - e25952
VL  - 8
IS  - 6
KW  - women
KW  - female
KW  - gender-specific
KW  - digital health
KW  - internet
KW  - mobile app
KW  - technology
KW  - technology interventions
KW  - technology-based intervention
KW  - web-based intervention
KW  - substance use concerns
KW  - trauma
AB  - Background: Digital health resources are being increasingly used to support women with substance use concerns. Although empirical research has demonstrated that these resources have promise, the available evidence for their benefit in women requires further investigation. Evidence supports the capacity of interventions that are sex-, gender-, and trauma-informed to improve treatment access and outcomes and to reduce health system challenges and disparities. Indeed, both sex- and gender-specific approaches are critical to improve health and gender equity. Violence and trauma are frequent among those with substance use concerns, but they disproportionately affect those who identify as female or women, further underscoring the need for trauma-informed care as well. Objective: The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the evidence supporting the efficacy or effectiveness of online or mobile interventions for risky or harmful substance use in adults who identify as female or women, or who report a history of trauma. Methods: This scoping review is based on an academic search in MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane Central, and CINAHL, as well as a grey literature search in US and Canadian government and funding agency websites. Of the 7807 records identified, 465 remained following title and abstract screening. Of these, 159 met all eligibility criteria and were reviewed and synthesized. Results: The 159 records reflected 141 distinct studies and 125 distinct interventions. Investigations and the interventions evaluated predominantly focused on alcohol use or general substance use. Evaluated digital health resources included multisession and brief-session interventions, with a wide range of therapeutic elements. Multisession online and mobile interventions exhibited beneficial effects in 86.1% (105/122) of studies. Single-session interventions similarly demonstrated beneficial effects in 64.2% (43/67) of study conditions. Most investigations did not assess gender identity or conduct sex- or gender-based analyses. Only 13 investigations that included trauma were identified. Conclusions: Despite the overall promise of digital health interventions for substance use concerns, direct or quantitative evidence on the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions in females or women specifically is weak. 
SN  - 2368-7959
UR  - https://mental.jmir.org/2021/6/e25952
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/25952
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34096879
DO  - 10.2196/25952
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/25952
ER  -