Abstract
Online mobile counseling applications (apps) are an effective tool for addressing common mental health issues and for providing emotional support (Marshall et al., 2020). However, there is still a dearth of research on the factors that contribute to the use and adoption of these apps (Algahtani & Orji, 2020; Baumel, Muench, Edan & Kane, 2019). Understanding users’ concerns with and motivations for using online mobile counseling apps can provide information for app designers about how to design and refine the apps in the future. This study therefore aimed to: 1) identify youths’ concerns with using online mobile counseling apps; and 2) explore how youths’ mental health status influences their concerns with using mobile counseling apps.
We first conducted in-depth interviews with 21 young people aged between 19 and 21 years old. They had all used an online mental health counseling app before. The interviews lasted for one hour each, and the results of the interviews were used to design a 40-item questionnaire. The questionnaire was then used to identify key themes concerning how young people evaluate mental health counseling apps and the apps’ relationships with their mental health statuses.
In total, 1,690 students in Hong Kong aged between 12 and 25 years old were recruited to complete the questionnaire using convenience sampling. This included 295 university students, 449 senior high school students, and 651 junior high school students.
Using exploratory factor analysis to analyze the questionnaire responses, five key themes were identified concerning young people’s evaluations of online mental health counselling apps: 1) users’ flexibility in using the mobile apps; 2) the background of the service provider and the counsellors; 3) the quality of the counselling services; 4) users’ privacy; and 5) counsellors’ techniques when providing services through the mobile apps.
The results suggest that the participants suffered from greater levels of depression, anxiety, and stress concerning the first four themes, while there was no significant relationship between mental health status and concerns about counsellors’ techniques when providing services through the mobile apps.
Compared with young people with normal mental health statuses, we found that young people with depression, anxiety, or stress were more concerned about their privacy. We also found that young people with depression or anxiety were more concerned about the flexibility of using the mobile apps than other young people. The results suggest that user privacy is the main concern for young users, particularly for those with mental health issues. Users with mental health issues are also found to prioritize flexibility when evaluating mobile apps. Such users hope that mobile apps can help overcome the geographical and time constraints and allow them to receive counselling more easily.
We first conducted in-depth interviews with 21 young people aged between 19 and 21 years old. They had all used an online mental health counseling app before. The interviews lasted for one hour each, and the results of the interviews were used to design a 40-item questionnaire. The questionnaire was then used to identify key themes concerning how young people evaluate mental health counseling apps and the apps’ relationships with their mental health statuses.
In total, 1,690 students in Hong Kong aged between 12 and 25 years old were recruited to complete the questionnaire using convenience sampling. This included 295 university students, 449 senior high school students, and 651 junior high school students.
Using exploratory factor analysis to analyze the questionnaire responses, five key themes were identified concerning young people’s evaluations of online mental health counselling apps: 1) users’ flexibility in using the mobile apps; 2) the background of the service provider and the counsellors; 3) the quality of the counselling services; 4) users’ privacy; and 5) counsellors’ techniques when providing services through the mobile apps.
The results suggest that the participants suffered from greater levels of depression, anxiety, and stress concerning the first four themes, while there was no significant relationship between mental health status and concerns about counsellors’ techniques when providing services through the mobile apps.
Compared with young people with normal mental health statuses, we found that young people with depression, anxiety, or stress were more concerned about their privacy. We also found that young people with depression or anxiety were more concerned about the flexibility of using the mobile apps than other young people. The results suggest that user privacy is the main concern for young users, particularly for those with mental health issues. Users with mental health issues are also found to prioritize flexibility when evaluating mobile apps. Such users hope that mobile apps can help overcome the geographical and time constraints and allow them to receive counselling more easily.
References:
Alqahtani F, Orji R. (2020). Insights from user reviews to improve mental health apps. Health Informatics Journal, 26(3), 2042-2066. doi:10.1177/1460458219896492
Baumel, A., Muench, F., Edan, S., & Kane JM. (2019). Objective user engagement with mental health apps: Systematic search and panel-based usage analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(9), 1-15. doi: 10.2196/14567
Marshall, J. M., Dunstan, D. A., & Bartik, W. (2020). The role of digital mental health resources to treat trauma symptoms in Australia during COVID-19. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1). https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000627
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 3 Jul 2024 |
| Event | International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference (IAMCR 2024): Weaving People Together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening - Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand Duration: 30 Jun 2024 → 4 Jul 2024 https://iamcr.org/christchurch2024 (Conference website) https://iamcr.org/christchurch2024/abstracts (Conference abstract book) https://iamcr.box.com/shared/static/cubypbhdxhhxp49ms1tz21cqx2ajr8oo.pdf (Conference programme) |
Conference
| Conference | International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference (IAMCR 2024) |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | IAMCR 2024 |
| Country/Territory | New Zealand |
| City | Christchurch |
| Period | 30/06/24 → 4/07/24 |
| Internet address |
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User-Defined Keywords
- counselling
- mental health
- mobile apps
