Translation and Pilot Evaluation of a Japanese Short Version of the Sorted:

Mental Health Mobile Application

Abstract

Objective: To develop a Japanese-language short version of the Sorted: Mental Health mobile application and evaluate its practical usefulness through a pilot study.

Materials and methods: Sorted: Mental Health is a mobile application developed in the United Kingdom. Four of its tracks—which are free—were translated into Japanese to create a Japanese-language short version of the application. The translation was conducted in accordance with the basic guidelines for translating scales established by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research (ISPOR) task force. University undergraduate and graduate students aged 20 years or older who agreed to participate in the study were instructed to use the short version of the mobile application for four weeks. Self-administered questionnaire assessments were conducted at baseline (preintervention) and after the four-week intervention period. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare participants’ well-being at these two time-points.

Results: The comparison revealed a significant difference (p = 0.038) in scores for the “suicidal ideation and depressive tendencies” item of the Japanese 30-item General Health Questionnaire.

Conclusion: A single-group before–after comparative survey using no control groups confirmed the appropriateness of the Japanese translation and affirmed the practical usefulness of this application. Further research employing controlled study designs is required to more rigorously evaluate its effects on positive mental health outcomes, including wellbeing.