Mobile Applications in Mental Health and Public Safety: Challenges and Gaps in Digital Transformation

Diego Mattera

doi:10.33333/lajc.vol13n2.05

Autores/as

Diego Mattera UCASAL https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2937-7229

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33333/lajc.vol13n2.05

Palabras clave:

aplicaciones móviles, salud mental, seguridad ciudadana, brecha digital, adopción tecnológica, transformación digital

Resumen

Las aplicaciones móviles en salud mental y seguridad ciudadana han evolucionado de herramientas individuales a infraestructuras digitales estratégicas en la transformación digital. Este estudio realiza una revisión narrativa y documental, centrada en el contexto estadounidense. Los resultados muestran que, aunque estas aplicaciones presentan alta eficacia funcional y crecimiento sostenido, su impacto social se ve limitado por desigualdades en acceso, alfabetización digital, confianza institucional e interoperabilidad con servicios públicos. En salud mental, el uso de aplicaciones entre personas con trastornos diagnosticados es reducido, presenta efectos moderados en la reducción de síntomas de ansiedad y depresión y adherencia intermitente, pese a la alta propiedad de smartphones. En seguridad ciudadana, plataformas como Life360 y Citizen registran crecimiento de usuarios, pero la evidencia sobre impacto operativo real, reducción de tiempos de respuesta y percepción de seguridad es limitada y heterogénea. La sostenibilidad social de estas tecnologías requiere validación institucional, diseño inclusivo, protección de datos, participación comunitaria y articulación con políticas públicas. La confluencia con inteligencia artificial, dispositivos vulnerables y modelos híbridos de intervención proyecta tendencias futuras hacia personalización inteligente y fortalecimiento de la resiliencia comunitaria.

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