Stiles-Shields Colleen, Batts Kathryn R, Reyes Karen M, Archer Joseph, Crosby Sharad, Draxler Janel M, Lennan Nia, Held Philip
Section of Community Behavioral Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States.
Community Health Research Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States.
JMIR Form Res. 2022 Jun 22;6(6):e38162. doi: 10.2196/38162.
Digital mental health (DMH) tools use technology (eg, websites and mobile apps) to conveniently deliver mental health resources to users in real time, reducing access barriers. Underserved communities facing health care provider shortages and limited mental health resources may benefit from DMH tools, as these tools can help improve access to resources.
This study described the development and feasibility evaluation of the Emotional Needs Evaluation and Resource Guide for You (ENERGY) System, a DMH tool to meet the mental health and resource needs of youth and their families developed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ENERGY System offers a brief assessment of resource needs; problem-solving capabilities; and symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, and alcohol and substance use followed by automated, personalized feedback based on the participant's responses.
Individuals aged ≥15 years were recruited through community partners, community events, targeted electronic health record messages, and social media. Participants completed screening questions to establish eligibility, entered demographic information, and completed the ENERGY System assessment. Based on the participant's responses, the ENERGY System immediately delivered digital resources tailored to their identified areas of need (eg, relaxation). A subset of participants also voluntarily completed the following: COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey (CEFIS) or COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey Adolescent and Young Adult Version (CEFIS-AYA); resource needs assessment; and feedback on their experience using the ENERGY System. If resource needs (eg, housing and food insecurity) were endorsed, lists of local resources were provided.
A total of 212 individuals accessed the ENERGY System link, of which 96 (45.3%) completed the screening tool and 86 (40.6%) received resources. Participant responses on the mental health screening questions triggered on average 2.04 (SD 1.94) intervention domains. Behavioral Activation/Increasing Activities was the most frequently launched intervention domain (56%, 54/96), and domains related to alcohol or substance use were the least frequent (4%, 4/96). The most frequently requested support areas were finances (33%, 32/96), transportation (26%, 25/96), and food (24%, 23/96). The CEFIS and CEFIS-AYA indicated higher than average impacts from the pandemic (ie, average scores >2.5). Participants were satisfied with the ENERGY System overall (65%, 39/60) as well as the length of time it took to answer the questions (90%, 54/60), which they found easy to answer (87%, 52/60).
This study provided initial support for the feasibility of the ENERGY System, a DMH tool capable of screening for resource and mental health needs and providing automated, personalized, and free resources and techniques to meet the identified needs. Future studies should seek direct feedback from community members to further improve the ENERGY System and its dissemination to encourage use.
数字心理健康（DMH）工具利用技术（如网站和移动应用程序），方便地实时为用户提供心理健康资源，减少获取障碍。面临医疗保健提供者短缺和心理健康资源有限的服务不足社区可能会从DMH工具中受益，因为这些工具有助于改善资源获取。
本研究描述了“为您提供的情感需求评估与资源指南”（ENERGY）系统的开发和可行性评估，这是一种在2019冠状病毒病大流行背景下开发的DMH工具，旨在满足青少年及其家庭的心理健康和资源需求。ENERGY系统提供对资源需求的简要评估；解决问题的能力；以及抑郁、焦虑、创伤以及酒精和物质使用的症状，随后根据参与者的回答提供自动、个性化的反馈。
通过社区合作伙伴、社区活动、有针对性的电子健康记录信息和社交媒体招募年龄≥15岁的个体。参与者完成筛查问题以确定是否符合条件，输入人口统计学信息，并完成ENERGY系统评估。根据参与者的回答，ENERGY系统立即提供针对其确定的需求领域（如放松）量身定制的数字资源。一部分参与者还自愿完成以下内容：2019冠状病毒病暴露与家庭影响调查（CEFIS）或2019冠状病毒病暴露与家庭影响调查青少年及青年版（CEFIS-AYA）；资源需求评估；以及对他们使用ENERGY系统体验的反馈。如果认可资源需求（如住房和粮食不安全），则提供当地资源列表。
共有212人访问了ENERGY系统链接，其中96人（45.3%）完成了筛查工具，86人（40.6%）获得了资源。参与者在心理健康筛查问题上的回答平均触发2.04个（标准差1.94）干预领域。行为激活/增加活动是最常启动的干预领域（56%，54/96），与酒精或物质使用相关的领域最少（4%，4/96）。最常请求的支持领域是财务（33%，32/96）、交通（26%，25/96）和食品（24%，23/96）。CEFIS和CEFIS-AYA表明大流行的影响高于平均水平（即平均得分>2.5）。参与者总体上对ENERGY系统感到满意（65%，39/60），对回答问题所花费的时间也感到满意（90%，54/60），他们觉得问题很容易回答（87%，52/60）。
本研究为ENERGY系统的可行性提供了初步支持，ENERGY系统是一种DMH工具，能够筛查资源和心理健康需求，并提供自动、个性化且免费的资源和技巧以满足已确定的需求。未来的研究应寻求社区成员的直接反馈，以进一步改进ENERGY系统及其传播，鼓励使用。
