Many grieving teenagers do not end up in a group or with a professional. Can an app fill that gap? Swedish researchers tested it.
What was studied
126 teenagers aged 12 to 19 took part. They had lost a parent, a brother or a sister, on average about three years earlier. By lottery, one group got the self-help app Alba (61 teenagers, with no guidance). The other group got a website with information about grief (65 teenagers). They decided for themselves how often to use it. The researchers asked how they were doing at the start and after 2, 6 and 12 months. 83 percent were girls and the average age was 16.
At the start, many of these teenagers were doing badly. For 33 to 40 percent it pointed to prolonged grief, and for 40 percent to post-traumatic stress. That is a lot for a study meant as prevention.
What came out of it
The main outcome was prolonged grief. After 2 and after 6 months there was no clear difference between the two groups. After a year there was: the app group did better, with a medium effect (d = 0.64).
For grief reactions, stress symptoms after shocking events and depression, the pattern was the same, with one exception. There was a difference after 2 and after 12 months, but not after 6 months. In that period the group with only the website also improved.
The app had no effect on personal growth. The researchers think the social side of a group conversation may be needed for that. That is an assumption, not a result of this study.
Of the 46 teenagers who answered questions about the app, most found it useful. They said they understood grief better, could handle emotions better and had more confidence in themselves. Nine of 45 teenagers named something unpleasant, mostly sadness that the app brought up.
How strong is this
This is a real randomised trial, but not blinded. The teenagers and the researchers knew who was in which group. Only the main question was calculated in advance. The other results are exploratory.
There are weak points too. 24 teenagers only took part in the first measurement. In the app group, those who dropped out had more stress symptoms and more depressive symptoms at the start. That can make the effect look bigger than it is. A second calculation with only the complete data (74 to 77 teenagers) gave the same picture, though. The questionnaire for prolonged grief is new and not yet well tested. The group was mostly girls born in Sweden. Other help the teenagers received was not measured.
Why the effect disappeared after 6 months, the researchers do not know. They think of declining use of the app, but they did not study it.
What this means for practice
- See the app as a low threshold for teenagers who do not want a group. It does not replace someone who stays close. The authors themselves call the app an addition to existing help.
- Do not expect quick results. After two months nothing showed on the main question, after a year something did. This study cannot say whether that was the app or the time.
- Some of the teenagers became sad because of the app. The researchers see that as a possible part of the process, but that was not studied either. Make sure a teenager knows who to turn to.
Read the article (PMC, open access) · DOI
Source
Rhodin, R., et al. (2026). Effects and user-reported experiences of a self-management mobile health app for grieving adolescents: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 28, e94777. https://doi.org/10.2196/94777