Exploring perceptions of psychology students in Delhi-NCR Region towards using mental health apps to promote resilience: a qualitative study
subject: Engaging features; FGDs; Mental health apps; MHapps; Progress tracking; Reflexive thematic analysis; Resilience; University students
description: Background: Mental health apps (MHapps) have the potential to become an essential constituent for addressing mental health disparities and influencing the psychological outcomes of students in India. Though lauded as a practical approach to preventing various mental health issues, there are concerns that developing and utilizing MHapps standardized on Western populations produce ineffective results for the natives of Asian countries such as India due to a wide range of cultural differences. This research was conducted on psychology students living in the Delhi-NCR region of the Indian subcontinent. The study explored psychology students perceptions, needs, and preferences regarding mental health apps that promote resilience, identified barriers and facilitators for developing effective mental health apps, and explored the cultural relevance of the development of MHapps in India. Methods: This was an exploratory study utilizing focus group discussions among psychology students. Psychology students were sampled using snowball sampling from Delhi-NCR region colleges to participate in FGDs. We conducted six focus groups, which included a representation of 30 psychology students from full-time UG/PG courses. The study used a reflexive thematic analysis framework using the six-step Braun and Clarke process to develop themes. Results: Psychology students valued MHapps for their easy accessibility, 24*7 functionality, affordable costs, highly engaging features, and the option of being anonymous. However, students preferred the apps based on established psychological frameworks with strong empirical evidence and the availability of remote mental health professionals with relevant qualifications and training. The main barriers to using MHapps identified by students included difficulties in differentiating between real and fake MHapps, lack of progress tracking of the users due to minimal human interactions, and ethical and data privacy concerns. Students also emphasized the c…
creator: Chawla S.; Saha S.
source: BMC Public Health, Vol-24, No. 1
publisher: BioMed Central Ltd
date: 2024-01-01
rights: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
relation: ISSN: 14712458; PubMed ID: 39061041
format: Online
language: English
type: Article
coverage: Chawla S., Department of Psychology, Christ University, NCR, Delhi, India; Saha S., Department of Psychology, Christ University, NCR, Delhi, India