Ding Xiaoxu, Marchand Kirsten, Holsti Liisa, Schmidt Julia, Parde Natalie, Sakakibara Brodie, Barbic Skye
Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Foundry, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Digit Health. 2025 Aug 3;11:20552076251365073. doi: 10.1177/20552076251365073. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.
Early onset of mental health disorders is common, but many cases remain undetected and untreated, highlighting the need for early intervention. In Canada, youth mental health services face challenges, including fragmentation and resource limitations. Integrated youth services (IYS) aim to address these gaps for individuals aged 12-24 years. Mobile health (mHealth) programs, like Foundry Virtual BC, offer potential solutions, yet their integration and sustainability within IYS require further exploration.
This study examined interest-holder perspectives on creating a sustainable, youth-centred mHealth system to improve mental health outcomes. The research focused on three questions: (a) How do users, service providers, and nonclinical staff perceive mHealth's effectiveness and impact? (b) What are the barriers and facilitators to mHealth integration within the Foundry IYS network? and (c) What strategies support the sustainability of mHealth services?
A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 23 interest-holders, including youth users, service providers, and nonclinical staff from the Foundry network. Participants were recruited via social media and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis identified key themes and subthemes.
Three themes emerged regarding mHealth perceptions: (a) its own value, (b) its potential to address barriers to in-person care, and (c) its inherent limitations. Barriers and facilitators of mHealth integration were categorized into three domains: (a) design characteristics (e.g., app usability and content quality), (b) individual youth factors (e.g., privacy concern and inner struggle), and (c) external factors (e.g., safe space and support from peers). Sustainability was linked to service quality and external support.
This study highlights the complexity of mHealth integration within an IYS network. Interest-holders emphasized addressing user motivations, privacy, and accessibility while advocating for co-design approaches to ensure mHealth meets diverse youth needs. Future research should focus on underrepresented groups to promote equity and improve mental health outcomes through sustainable mHealth solutions.
心理健康障碍的早期发作很常见，但许多病例仍未被发现和治疗，这凸显了早期干预的必要性。在加拿大，青少年心理健康服务面临挑战，包括服务分散和资源限制。综合青少年服务（IYS）旨在解决12至24岁个体的这些差距。移动健康（mHealth）项目，如“铸造虚拟卑诗省”（Foundry Virtual BC），提供了潜在的解决方案，但其在IYS中的整合和可持续性需要进一步探索。
本研究考察了利益相关者对创建一个以青少年为中心的可持续移动健康系统以改善心理健康结果的看法。该研究聚焦于三个问题：（a）用户、服务提供者和非临床工作人员如何看待移动健康的有效性和影响？（b）在“铸造”IYS网络中整合移动健康的障碍和促进因素有哪些？（c）哪些策略支持移动健康服务的可持续性？
采用半结构化访谈对23名利益相关者进行了定性研究，这些利益相关者包括“铸造”网络中的青少年用户、服务提供者和非临床工作人员。参与者通过社交媒体和滚雪球抽样招募。主题分析确定了关键主题和子主题。
关于移动健康认知出现了三个主题：（a）其自身价值，（b）其解决面对面护理障碍的潜力，（c）其固有局限性。移动健康整合的障碍和促进因素分为三个领域：（a）设计特征（如应用程序可用性和内容质量），（b）青少年个体因素（如隐私担忧和内心挣扎），（c）外部因素（如安全空间和同伴支持）。可持续性与服务质量和外部支持相关。
本研究凸显了在IYS网络中整合移动健康的复杂性。利益相关者强调在倡导共同设计方法以确保移动健康满足不同青少年需求的同时，要解决用户动机、隐私和可及性问题。未来的研究应关注代表性不足的群体，以促进公平并通过可持续的移动健康解决方案改善心理健康结果。
