Young people's attitudes towards online self-help single-session interventions: findings from a co-produced qualitative study.

BACKGROUND

Many young people experience at least subthreshold depression symptoms which impact their functioning. Yet, access to evidence-based help is limited, with barriers such as service thresholds, stigma, and lack of knowledge about mental health and available services. One way to ensure young people have access to free, early, immediate and anonymous help is through online self-help single-session interventions. This study aimed to qualitatively explore young people's perceptions of and attitudes towards these interventions.

METHODS

Twenty-four young people (UK based, age 15-18) took part in qualitative semi-structured interviews which were hosted online and co-conducted with a young research team (N = 4, age 16-18), during which we described online single-session interventions and asked participants for their perspectives. Together with our young researchers, we analyzed the data using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three themes were generated: (1) Will it help, or won't it? Hope versus skepticism; (2) Why this approach? Benefits of single-session interventions for young people; and (3) Have you considered this? Logistics for implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study highlights that whilst young people perceived there to be many benefits associated with online single-session interventions, including anonymity, easy access, and lack of disclosure, they expressed doubts regarding sufficiency and ability to address severe mental health problems. Despite this, the potentially preventative effects during the early stages of help-seeking were highlighted, alongside single-session interventions acting as a gateway to further help-seeking and support. However, logistical considerations should also be reflected upon when developing online single-session interventions, including where they are advertised, age appropriateness, and how to demonstrate trustworthiness.