Mental health app may help unemployed people find jobs, six-week trial suggests
A Northwestern University clinical trial found that a smartphone app called DRIVEN, which combines mental health exercises with job-seeking strategies, helped 70% of unemployed participants find work. The study suggests such interventions are increasingly necessary due to the stress of modern, AI-driven job markets.
Why it matters
It highlights a potential digital health solution for the psychological challenges associated with unemployment in a competitive job market.
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Add to Preferred Sources Screenshot of the app. Credit: Northwestern University Losing a job can be a life-shattering experience. And when depression complicates a job search, unemployment can become a vicious cycle. Now, a Northwestern University–led clinical trial suggests a new intervention may break that cycle: a phone app, named DRIVEN, that combines weekly self-guided mental health exercises (to reduce stress and increase motivation) with job-seeking strategies.
In a six-week trial of 126 unemployed individuals, nearly 70% of participants who received the smartphone intervention found work, compared with about half of those who received standard job-search advice.
With millions of unemployed U.S. adults facing a difficult job market, the study authors say their intervention may be needed now more than ever.
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