Davies Sian M, Jardine Jenni, Gutridge Kerry, Bernard Zara, Park Stephen, Dawson Tom, Abel Kathryn M, Whelan Pauline
GM.Digital Research Unit, Centre for Women's Mental Health, Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.
JMIR Form Res. 2021 Dec 13;5(12):e30668. doi: 10.2196/30668.
The incidence of mental health problems in children and adolescents in the United Kingdom has significantly increased in recent years, and more people are in contact with mental health services in Greater Manchester than in other parts of the country. Children and young people spend most of their time at school and with teachers. Therefore, schools and other educational settings may be ideal environments in which to identify those experiencing or those at the risk of developing psychological symptoms and provide timely support for children most at risk of mental health or related problems.
This study aims to test the feasibility of embedding a low-cost, scalable, and innovative digital mental health intervention in schools in the Greater Manchester area.
Two components of a 6-week digital intervention were implemented in a primary school in Greater Manchester: Lexplore, a reading assessment using eye-tracking technology to assess reading ability and detect early atypicality, and Lincus, a digital support and well-being monitoring platform.
Of the 115 children approached, 34 (29.6%) consented and took part; of these 34 children, all 34 (100%) completed the baseline Lexplore assessment, and 30 (88%) completed the follow-up. In addition, most children were classified by Lincus as regular (≥1 per week) survey users. Overall, the teaching staff and children found both components of the digital intervention engaging, usable, feasible, and acceptable. Despite the widespread enthusiasm and recognition of the potential added value from staff, we met significant implementation barriers.
This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of a digital mental health intervention for schoolchildren. Further work is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital intervention and to understand whether the assessment of reading atypicality using Lexplore can identify those who require additional help and whether they can also be supported by Lincus. This study provides high-quality pilot data and highlights the potential benefits of implementing digital assessment and mental health support tools in a primary school setting.
近年来，英国儿童和青少年心理健康问题的发生率显著上升，与该国其他地区相比，大曼彻斯特地区有更多人接受心理健康服务。儿童和年轻人大部分时间都在学校并与教师相处。因此，学校和其他教育场所可能是识别那些正在经历心理症状或有发展心理症状风险的人，并为最有心理健康或相关问题风险的儿童提供及时支持的理想环境。
本研究旨在测试在大曼彻斯特地区的学校中嵌入低成本、可扩展且创新的数字心理健康干预措施的可行性。
在大曼彻斯特的一所小学实施了为期6周的数字干预的两个组成部分：Lexplore，一种使用眼动追踪技术评估阅读能力并检测早期异常的阅读评估工具；以及Lincus，一个数字支持和幸福感监测平台。
在接触的115名儿童中，34名（29.6%）同意并参与；在这34名儿童中，所有34名（100%）完成了Lexplore基线评估，30名（88%）完成了随访。此外，大多数儿童被Lincus归类为定期（每周至少1次）调查用户。总体而言，教师和儿童都认为数字干预的两个组成部分具有吸引力、可用性、可行性和可接受性。尽管工作人员普遍热情并认识到其潜在附加值，但我们遇到了重大的实施障碍。
本研究探讨了针对学童的数字心理健康干预措施的可接受性和可行性。需要进一步开展工作来评估数字干预的有效性，了解使用Lexplore评估阅读异常是否能够识别那些需要额外帮助的人，以及他们是否也能得到Lincus的支持。本研究提供了高质量的试点数据，并突出了在小学环境中实施数字评估和心理健康支持工具的潜在益处。
