Table 1.
Characteristics of eligible studies.
| References | Study design | Study area | Profession | Sample size (N) | Female (%) | Mean age (years) | Type of APPs | Weekly dosage | Duration | Emotion outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carissoli et al. (22) | Randomized controlled design | Italy | Workers | EG: 20 CG: 18 |
Total: 84.21% | Total: 38.11 ± 6.92 |
Designed by the researchers | 210 min | 3 weeks | Depression, anxiety: MSP |
| Wen et al. (23) | Prospective, pilot design | USA | Hospital staffs | EG: 30 | EG: 60% |
NR | Freely download (head space) | More than 70 min | 4 weeks | Negative emotions: NAS |
| Mistretta et al. (24) | Randomized controlled design | USA | Hospital staffs | EG: 23 CG: 15 |
EG: 78.3% CG: 93.3% |
EG: 43.7 ± 14.7 CG: 46.1 ± 10.5 |
Designed by the researchers | 120 min | 6 weeks | Depression: DASS-Depression Anxiety: DASS-Anxiety Stress: DASS-Stress |
| Yang et al. (25) | Prospective, randomized controlled design | USA | Medical students | EG: 44 CG: 44 |
Total: 64 | NR | Freely download (head space) | 70–140 min | 30 days | Stress: PSS |
| Moffitt-Carney et al. (26) | Pretest–posttest design | USA | College students | EG: 59 | EG: 74.6 | EG: 19.92 ± 3.87 | Pay to download | 420 min | 5 weeks | Depression: CESD-R Anxiety: STAI |
| Bostock et al. (27) | Randomized controlled design | UK | Company staffs | EG: 108 CG: 81 |
EG: 60 CG: 58 |
EG: 36 ± 8.3 CG: 35 ± 6.9 |
Freely download (head space) | 70–140 min | 8 weeks | Depression: HADS-Depression Anxiety: HADS-Anxiety |
| Hwang et al. (28) | Randomized controlled design | South Korea | Nurses | EG: 26 CG: 30 |
EG: 83.3 CG: 93.3 |
<30 years old: 14 31–40: 30 >40 years old: 12 |
Designed by the researchers | More than 70 min | 4 weeks | Depression: PHQ-9 Anxiety: GAD-7 STRESS: PSS-10; KOSS |
| Wu et al. (29) | Randomized controlled design | China | Nurses |
EG: 38 CG: 38 |
EG: 100 CG: 100 |
EG: 29.84 ± 4.66 CG: 31.92 ± 4.82 |
Freely download | 140–420 min | 8 weeks | Depression:SCL-Depression Anxiety: SCL-Anxiety |
EG, Experimental Group; CG, Control Group; NR, Not Reported; MSP, The Mesure du Stress Psychologique; NAS, The PANAS [Positive Affect Scale [PAS] and Negative Affect Scale]; DASS-21, The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales; PSS, Perceived Stress Scale; CESD-R, The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised; STAI, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; HADS, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; PHQ-9, The Patient Health Questionnaire; GAD-7, The Generalized Anxiety Disorder; PSS-10, The assessed self-awareness of stress; KOSS, The Korean Occupational Stress Scale; SCL-90, Self-reporting inventor.