Garrido Sandra, Oliver Eliza, Chmiel Anthony, Doran Barbara, Boydell Katherine
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour & Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Front Digit Health. 2022 Dec 21;4:1045765. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2022.1045765. eCollection 2022.
Although many young people evince a preference for digital mental health support over face to face, engagement with smartphone apps for mental health remains relatively low, particularly in young people not accessing professional support services. While some of this can be attributed to stigma or embarrassment, there is also a need for developers and researchers to investigate features which promote long-term usage. s is a music-based smartphone app that has been co-designed with young people to help them develop effective self-management strategies for mood through music listening. Four focus groups with young people ( = 24, aged 13-25) were conducted to workshop how could promote help-seeking behaviours and long-term engagement with the app. Online discussions following a broad topic guide were held in groups of 4-7 in which participants explored topics including the use of social features, promoting help-seeking behaviour, gamification and mood tracking. Participants also viewed visual materials and offered ideas about visual design both verbally and on paper. A general inductive approach was taken to analysis of qualitative data. Three primary themes were identified in the data: privacy; user empowerment; and engagement vs. achievement. Participants voiced a strong desire to remain anonymous and to feel empowered to make their own decisions about accessing professional help. Sensitive use of language was noted as critical, with some participants noting that the use of more directive language could have a negative impact on their mental health and that motivational features should focus on engagement with the primary aim of the app rather than rewarding achievement. Findings highlight the benefits of a co-design approach and provide key insights into how mental health apps may be able to improve long-term user engagement with young people.
尽管许多年轻人表示更喜欢数字心理健康支持而非面对面支持，但使用智能手机心理健康应用程序的比例仍然相对较低，尤其是在未使用专业支持服务的年轻人中。虽然部分原因可归结为耻辱感或尴尬情绪，但开发者和研究人员也需要研究能促进长期使用的功能。s是一款基于音乐的智能手机应用程序，它是与年轻人共同设计的，旨在帮助他们通过听音乐制定有效的情绪自我管理策略。对24名年龄在13至25岁之间的年轻人进行了四组焦点小组讨论，以研讨s如何促进求助行为以及与该应用程序的长期互动。在一个宽泛的主题指南引导下，4至7人一组进行了在线讨论，参与者探讨了包括社交功能的使用、促进求助行为、游戏化和情绪跟踪等主题。参与者还观看了视觉材料，并通过口头和书面形式提供了有关视觉设计的想法。采用一般归纳法对定性数据进行分析。数据中确定了三个主要主题：隐私；用户赋权；以及互动与成就。参与者表达了强烈希望保持匿名并能自主决定是否寻求专业帮助的愿望。语言的敏感使用被认为至关重要，一些参与者指出，使用更具指导性的语言可能会对他们的心理健康产生负面影响，激励功能应侧重于与应用程序的主要目标互动，而不是奖励成就。研究结果凸显了共同设计方法的益处，并为心理健康应用程序如何提高与年轻人的长期用户互动提供了关键见解。
