A Digital Mental Health Solution to Improve Social, Emotional, and Learning Skills for Youth: Protocol for an Efficacy and Usability Study
2024

Digital Mental Health Solution for Youth: Study Protocol

Sample size: 60 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Amy Schwartz, Dixit Patel, Urjoshi Sinha, Kayla V Taylor, Garchitorena Laurent, Carolina Scaramutti-Gladfelter, Mykayla Wyrick, Katherine B Grill, Azizi A Seixas

Primary Institution: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Hypothesis

Can the Neolth digital mental health intervention improve social and emotional well-being, reduce academic stress, and increase mental health literacy among adolescents?

Conclusion

The STEMSEL study aims to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a digital mental health intervention for youth, potentially improving access to mental health care.

Supporting Evidence

  • Phase 1 revealed significant deficits in mental health resources within participating schools.
  • Teachers showed a strong willingness to engage in mental health initiatives.
  • Neolth's AI feature has effectively personalized content for students' unique mental health needs.

Takeaway

This study is about using a mobile app to help kids feel better emotionally and learn how to handle stress and mental health issues.

Methodology

The study involves a pre- and postdesign with four phases, including needs assessment, training for educators, student recruitment, and a year-long evaluation of the intervention's effectiveness.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the self-reported nature of the data and the digital divide affecting access to the app.

Limitations

The study is limited to three schools in Florida, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Participant Demographics

Participants are middle and high school students aged 11-18 years from diverse backgrounds.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2196/59372

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