Tripathi Ravikesh, Sengupta Pramita, Karishiddimath Abhishek, Khatri Khushboo, Sharma Pratiksha, Sriram Hari, Tk Srikanth, Mehrotra Seema
National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.
International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bangalore, India.
Discov Ment Health. 2025 Aug 26;5(1):131. doi: 10.1007/s44192-025-00277-4.
The population of older adults is increasing globally and in India. Depression, anxiety, social isolation, and loneliness commonly impact their well-being. Technology is being explored to improve access to mental health resources, with digital self-help platforms emerging as a promising approach. Given WhatsApp's wide use in India, it holds potential for delivering such support to older adults. This study explored the perspectives of urban Indian older adults on mental health and well-being needs, experiences with digital platforms, and views on a proposed WhatsApp-based self-help platform for mental health.
A qualitative approach was used, involving 19 older adults (aged 55 +), with at least eight years of formal education, and fluency in English/Hindi/Kannada. Individual interviews were conducted, and participants rated potential self-help topics. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) documented distress levels. Data were analyzed using framework analysis.
Five major themes emerged: 'Changes with Ageing', 'Protective Factors for Mental Health', 'Interactions with Digital Platforms', 'Views on WhatsApp', and 'Additional Suggestions'. Older adults reported using digital platforms for recreation, maintaining health, and socializing. They expressed openness to a WhatsApp-based mental health self-help platform with accurate content, simple interface, integration with health services, and access to support. Over three-fourths of participants rated all proposed self-help topics as important.
The study highlights the potential acceptability and usability of a WhatsApp-based self-help platform for urban Indian older adults, with participants emphasizing the need for credible content, simplicity, support-access, and relevant self-help content. It offers valuable insights for developing WhatsApp based platforms to support mental health and well-being of older adults.
全球及印度的老年人口都在增加。抑郁症、焦虑症、社会隔离和孤独感普遍影响着他们的幸福感。人们正在探索利用技术来改善心理健康资源的获取，数字自助平台已成为一种有前景的方法。鉴于WhatsApp在印度的广泛使用，它有潜力为老年人提供此类支持。本研究探讨了印度城市老年人对心理健康和幸福需求、数字平台体验以及对一个提议的基于WhatsApp的心理健康自助平台的看法。
采用定性研究方法，涉及19名年龄在55岁及以上的老年人，他们至少接受过八年正规教育，能流利使用英语/印地语/卡纳达语。进行了个人访谈，参与者对潜在的自助主题进行了评分。使用患者健康问卷（PHQ - 4）记录痛苦程度。数据采用框架分析法进行分析。
出现了五个主要主题：“衰老带来的变化”、“心理健康的保护因素”、“与数字平台的互动”、“对WhatsApp的看法”以及“其他建议”。老年人报告称使用数字平台进行娱乐、保持健康和社交。他们表示愿意接受一个基于WhatsApp的心理健康自助平台，该平台要有准确的内容、简单的界面、与健康服务的整合以及获得支持的途径。超过四分之三的参与者将所有提议的自助主题评为重要。
该研究强调了基于WhatsApp的自助平台对印度城市老年人的潜在可接受性和可用性，参与者强调需要可信的内容、简单性、支持获取以及相关的自助内容。它为开发基于WhatsApp的平台以支持老年人的心理健康和幸福提供了有价值的见解。
