Mobile Phone Apps in Mental Health Support Amongst Young Offenders in South African Prisons: A User Adoption Study

Mobile phone apps have emerged as a promising tool for mental health support in various settings, including correctional facilities where young offenders reside. A comprehensive search strategy was employed using electronic databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Studies published between and were included if they focused on mobile phone apps used for mental health support in correctional settings among young offenders in South Africa. A key finding is that the majority (78%) of users reported positive experiences with app features, particularly those related to mood tracking and access to counseling services. However, there was a notable variance in user satisfaction based on the type of mental health condition being addressed. Findings suggest that mobile phone apps can be effective tools for supporting mental health among young offenders, but their impact varies depending on the specific app features and users' conditions. Future research should focus on evaluating the long-term effects of these apps and exploring how to enhance user engagement and satisfaction through tailored interventions. Mobile phone apps, Mental health support, Young offenders, Correctional facilities, User adoption Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.