Drissi Nidal, Alhmoudi Ayat, Al Nuaimi Hana, Alkhyeli Mahra, Alsalami Shaikha, Ouhbi Sofia
United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
JMIR Form Res. 2020 Oct 20;4(10):e19876. doi: 10.2196/19876.
The COVID-19 outbreak was first reported to the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019, and it was officially declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak and the safety measures taken to control it caused many psychological issues in populations worldwide, such as depression, anxiety, and stress.
The objectives of this study were to assess the psychological effects of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak on university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to investigate the students' awareness of mobile mental health care apps as well as their attitudes toward the use of these apps.
A two-part self-administered web-based questionnaire was delivered to students at United Arab Emirates University. The first part of the questionnaire assessed the mental state of the participants using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), while the second part contained questions investigating the participants' awareness of and attitudes toward mental health care apps. Students were invited to fill out the web-based questionnaire via social media and mailing lists.
A total of 154 students participated in the survey, and the majority were female. The results of the GHQ-12 analysis showed that the students were experiencing psychological issues related to depression and anxiety as well as social dysfunction. The results also revealed a lack of awareness of mental health care apps and uncertainty regarding the use of such apps. Approximately one-third of the participants (44/154, 28.6%) suggested preferred functionalities and characteristics of mobile mental health care apps, such as affordable price, simple design, ease of use, web-based therapy, communication with others experiencing the same issues, and tracking of mental status.
Like many groups of people worldwide, university students in the UAE were psychologically affected by the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Although apps can be useful tools for mental health care delivery, especially in circumstances such as those produced by the outbreak, the students in this study showed a lack of awareness of these apps and mixed attitudes toward them. Improving the digital health literacy of university students in the UAE by increasing their awareness of mental health care apps and the treatment methods and benefits of the apps, as well as involving students in the app creation process, may encourage students to use these tools for mental health care.
2019年12月31日，新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情首次报告给世界卫生组织，并于2020年1月30日被正式宣布为国际关注的突发公共卫生事件。新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情及其防控措施在全球人群中引发了诸多心理问题，如抑郁、焦虑和压力。
本研究旨在评估新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情导致的封锁对阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）大学生的心理影响，并调查学生对移动心理健康护理应用程序的认知情况及其对使用这些应用程序的态度。
向阿联酋大学的学生发放了一份分为两部分的基于网络的自填式问卷。问卷的第一部分使用12项一般健康问卷（GHQ-12）评估参与者的心理状态，而第二部分包含调查参与者对心理健康护理应用程序的认知情况和态度的问题。通过社交媒体和邮件列表邀请学生填写基于网络的问卷。
共有154名学生参与了调查，其中大多数为女性。GHQ-12分析结果显示，学生们正经历与抑郁、焦虑以及社交功能障碍相关的心理问题。结果还显示，学生们对心理健康护理应用程序缺乏认知，且对使用此类应用程序存在不确定性。约三分之一的参与者（44/154，28.6%）提出了移动心理健康护理应用程序的首选功能和特性，如价格实惠、设计简单、易于使用、基于网络的治疗、与有相同问题的人交流以及心理状态跟踪。
与全球许多人群一样，阿联酋的大学生因新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情导致的封锁而受到心理影响。尽管应用程序可以成为提供心理健康护理的有用工具，尤其是在疫情等情况下，但本研究中的学生对这些应用程序缺乏认知，且对它们的态度不一。通过提高阿联酋大学生对心理健康护理应用程序以及这些应用程序的治疗方法和益处的认知，并让学生参与应用程序的创建过程，来提高他们的数字健康素养，可能会鼓励学生使用这些工具进行心理健康护理。
