Abstract
The global surge in mental health issues, particularly among the youth, is evident. Despite the proliferation of digital mental health services, their adoption remains limited, hindered by various barriers. Persistent gaps and constraints underscore the ongoing need for continuous advancements in technology to better cater to the targeted demographic. Given the pivotal role that mental well-being plays in shaping the future of public health status and society in general, it becomes imperative to confront these challenges. To address this issue, a digital mental health intervention is necessary. The
objective of this research is to develop an evidence-based digital mental health interventional module and to test its effectiveness in improving the mental health status among youths through a four-phase approach. This module development began with the initial phase of a needs assessment (phase 1) to identify the limitations of an existing digital mental health intervention. This phase was followed by a wide exploration of evidence-based and commonly practiced psychotherapies to be included in the newly developed online intervention module through a process of a scoping review (phase 2). The information gathered was then refined and embedded into a prototype web application for the subsequent validation process (phase 3) by experts. The evidence based digital mental health interventional module proposed by this study were introduction, activity and mood tracking, motivation, thoughts and feelings, advanced thoughts, and feelings, as well as stress and acute anxiety management. These modules integrated principles from psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),
dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness and grounding techniques. The application underwent iterative refinement, and the validation process obtained a content validation index (CVI) of 0.96 based on expert feedback. Following the finalization of content and the web application, its effectiveness was evaluated through a quasi-experimental study (phase 4) involving an intervention group and a waitlist
control group. The mean differences between baseline and post-intervention measurements of mental health status, as assessed by the DASS-21 questionnaire, were compared. The study revealed significant improvements in mental health status between groups, with moderate effect sizes for stress (ƞp2 = 0.57, p < 0.001) and depression (ƞp2 = 0.71, p < 0.001), and a small effect size for anxiety (ƞp2 = 0.27, p <
0.001). This study utilized a comprehensive module development framework and demonstrated the effectiveness of the expert-guided mental health intervention module. The findings contribute to the advancement of technology-assisted health services, facilitating greater uptake among the population. The validated content hold potential for adaptation across various platforms to cater to diverse target populations. Furthermore, the study suggests potential integration with the National Strategic Plan
for Mental Health 2020-2025 and the National Mental Health Policy, proposing the web application as a potential compulsory student screening tool administered by universities. The information gathered by this application could inform future research directions, propelling technological-assisted mental health services to new heights.
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BibTeX (Download)
@phdthesis{drph-Hazwa-Harith-2024,
title = {A Study on the Development and Effectiveness of EduMind for Monitoring Mental Health Status Among Youths},
author = {Hazwa Harith},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-09-12},
abstract = {The global surge in mental health issues, particularly among the youth, is evident. Despite the proliferation of digital mental health services, their adoption remains limited, hindered by various barriers. Persistent gaps and constraints underscore the ongoing need for continuous advancements in technology to better cater to the targeted demographic. Given the pivotal role that mental well-being plays in shaping the future of public health status and society in general, it becomes imperative to confront these challenges. To address this issue, a digital mental health intervention is necessary. The
objective of this research is to develop an evidence-based digital mental health interventional module and to test its effectiveness in improving the mental health status among youths through a four-phase approach. This module development began with the initial phase of a needs assessment (phase 1) to identify the limitations of an existing digital mental health intervention. This phase was followed by a wide exploration of evidence-based and commonly practiced psychotherapies to be included in the newly developed online intervention module through a process of a scoping review (phase 2). The information gathered was then refined and embedded into a prototype web application for the subsequent validation process (phase 3) by experts. The evidence based digital mental health interventional module proposed by this study were introduction, activity and mood tracking, motivation, thoughts and feelings, advanced thoughts, and feelings, as well as stress and acute anxiety management. These modules integrated principles from psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),
dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness and grounding techniques. The application underwent iterative refinement, and the validation process obtained a content validation index (CVI) of 0.96 based on expert feedback. Following the finalization of content and the web application, its effectiveness was evaluated through a quasi-experimental study (phase 4) involving an intervention group and a waitlist
control group. The mean differences between baseline and post-intervention measurements of mental health status, as assessed by the DASS-21 questionnaire, were compared. The study revealed significant improvements in mental health status between groups, with moderate effect sizes for stress (ƞp2 = 0.57, p \< 0.001) and depression (ƞp2 = 0.71, p \< 0.001), and a small effect size for anxiety (ƞp2 = 0.27, p \<
0.001). This study utilized a comprehensive module development framework and demonstrated the effectiveness of the expert-guided mental health intervention module. The findings contribute to the advancement of technology-assisted health services, facilitating greater uptake among the population. The validated content hold potential for adaptation across various platforms to cater to diverse target populations. Furthermore, the study suggests potential integration with the National Strategic Plan
for Mental Health 2020-2025 and the National Mental Health Policy, proposing the web application as a potential compulsory student screening tool administered by universities. The information gathered by this application could inform future research directions, propelling technological-assisted mental health services to new heights. },
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
