Currently submitted to: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Dec 17, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Jan 4, 2026 - Mar 1, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Gamified MHealth Apps and Psychological Well-Being: the Mediating Role of Positive Psychological Capital
ABSTRACT
Background:
Gamification has been increasingly integrated into mobile health (mHealth) applications to enhance user engagement and support mental health outcomes. However, empirical evidence explaining how gamified mHealth experiences contribute to users’ psychological well-being remains limited, particularly with respect to the underlying psychological mechanisms.
Objective:
This study aimed to examine the relationship between gamified mHealth experiences and psychological well-being and to investigate the mediating role of positive psychological capital (PsyCap) in this relationship.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among users of gamified mHealth applications. Gamified experience, PsyCap (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism), and psychological well-being were measured using validated scales. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized mediation model.
Results:
Data from 483 active users of mobile health applications were analyzed. Gamification affordances (GA) were positively associated with psychological well-being (PWB) (β = 0.54, P < .001) and positive psychological capital (β = 0.61, P < .001). Positive psychological capital was also positively related to psychological well-being (β = 0.54, P < .001). Bootstrapping analysis (5,000 resamples) indicated a significant indirect effect of GA on psychological well-being via positive psychological capital (indirect effect = 0.32; 95% CI 0.21–0.43), supporting partial mediation.
Conclusions:
This study highlights positive psychological capital as a key psychological mechanism linking gamified mHealth experiences to psychological well-being. The findings extend gamification research beyond engagement-focused outcomes and underscore the importance of designing mHealth interventions that support psychological empowerment and long-term well-being.
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