Enhancing Self-Efficacy for Help-Seeking Among Transition-Aged Youth in Postsecondary Settings With Mental Health and/or Substance Use Concerns, Using Crowd-Sourced Online and Mobile Technologies: The Thought Spot Protocol

Wiljer, David; Abi-Jaoudé, Alexxa; Johnson, Andrew; Ferguson, Genevieve; Sanches, Marcos; Levinson, Andrea; Robb, Janine; Heffernan, Olivia; Herzog, Tyson; Chaim, Gloria; Cleverley, Kristin; Eysenbach, Günther; Henderson, Joanna; Hoch, Jeffrey S.; Hollenberg, Elisa; Jiang, Huan; Isaranuwatchai, Wanrudee; Law, Marcus; Sharpe, Sarah; Tripp, Tim; Voineskos, Aristotle N.

doi:10.2196/resprot.6446

Cited by 33 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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Section: Methods Study Design and Target Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The full protocol for the RCT has been published elsewhere [31]. The RCT will assess the impact of Thought Spot on the self-efficacy of postsecondary students around mental health help-seeking [31]. The study will recruit 472 part-time and full-time students aged 17 to 29 years at George Brown College, Ryerson University and the University of Toronto who have self-identified as having mental health concerns or an interest in managing their mental health.…”

Section: Methods Study Design and Target Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The student-led project aims to improve post-secondary students' knowledge of, access to and navigation within addiction and mental health services by digitally mapping mental health, health and wellness services in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada [31]. This Web-and mobile-based map strives to help students overcome barriers to help-seeking, such as health illiteracy and stigma, by increasing their knowledge of local services while simultaneously decreasing the need for intermediaries such as friends, family members and physicians [31].…”

Section: Mental Health Climate In Canadian Post-secondary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Thought Spot project has three aims: (1) to optimize the platform to better meet the needs of post-secondary students; (2) to explore students' motivations and influences that affect uptake and use of the platform; and (3) to assess the usability, feasibility and acceptance of the platform [31]. Reducing or eliminating some of the barriers associated with help-seeking among youth may allow students to become aware of local resources and health services sooner and to access them earlier.…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper describes a proposed protocol for an economic evaluation of Thought Spot. The evaluation will be conducted using data from an RCT that evaluates the impact of the Web-and mobile-based app compared with usual care on self-efficacy for mental health help-seeking among university and college students [31]. By conducting an evaluation through an economic lens, researchers will be able to quantify the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Web- and Mobile-Based Map of Mental Health Resources for Postsecondary Students (Thought Spot): Protocol for an Economic Evaluation (Preprint)

Kaur¹,

Isaranuwatchai²,

Jaffer³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Background: Youth demonstrate a low propensity to seek help for mental health issues and exhibit low use of health services despite the high prevalence of mental health challenges in this population. Research has found that delivering interventions via the Internet and mobile devices is an effective way to reach youth. Thought Spot, a Web-and mobile-based map, was developed to help students overcome barriers to help-seeking, thereby reducing the economic burden associated with untreated mental health issues.

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Section: Methods Study Design and Target Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methods Study Design and Target Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mental Health Climate In Canadian Post-secondary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A Web- and Mobile-Based Map of Mental Health Resources for Postsecondary Students (Thought Spot): Protocol for an Economic Evaluation (Preprint)

Kaur¹,

Isaranuwatchai²,

Jaffer³

et al. 2017

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Youth involvement in alcohol and drug prevention: A systematic review

Aresi

Ferrari

Marta

et al. 2023

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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To review and analyse how youth involvement was conceptualised and applied in published alcohol and drug preventive interventions. A systematic review of the scientific literature on alcohol and drug prevention where young people (18–29 years old) participated at any stage of the intervention was conducted. We searched relevant bibliographic databases and online repositories for peer‐reviewed studies published between 2001 and 2021. Twenty‐seven articles reporting on studies in different countries and settings and using a variety of intervention strategies were eligible for inclusion. The analysis of the stages of youth involvement and the dimension of power sharing in decision‐making showed that only a minority of studies could be considered genuinely youth‐led whereas many involved young people merely as implementers of highly controlled research‐led interventions. However, the few studies that promoted sustained youth involvement struggled with translating results into rigorously evaluated interventions, thus demonstrating a tension between adoption of effective interventions and support to genuinely participatory processes. Knowledge gaps and implications for practice and research are discussed from a participatory research perspective. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

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Assessing the usability and user engagement of Thought Spot - A digital mental health help-seeking solution for transition-aged youth

Shi

Wong

et al. 2021

Internet Interventions

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Objective To evaluate the perceived usability of and user engagement with a digital platform (Thought Spot) designed to enhance mental health and wellness help-seeking among transition-aged youth (TAY; 17–29-years old). Materials and methods Survey responses and usage patterns were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of Thought Spot. Participants given Thought Spot completed an adapted Usefulness, Satisfaction, and Ease of Use (USE) Questionnaire to measure perceived usability of the platform. User engagement patterns on Thought Spot were examined using analytics data collected throughout the study (March 2018–June 2019). Results A total of 131 transition-aged participants completed the USE questionnaire and logged on to Thought Spot at least once. Ease of learning scored higher than ease of use, usefulness and satisfaction. Participants identified numerous strengths and challenges related to usability, visual appeal, functionality and usefulness of the content. In terms of user engagement, most participants stopped using the platform after 3 weeks. Participants searched and were interested in a variety of resources, including mental health, counselling and social services. Discussion Participants reported mixed experiences while using Thought Spot and exhibited low levels of long-term user engagement. User satisfaction, the willingness to recommend Thought Spot to others, and the willingness for future use appeared to be influenced by content relevance, ease of learning, available features, and other contextual factors. Analysis of the types of resources viewed and searches conducted by TAY end-users provided insight into their behaviour and needs. Conclusion Users had mixed perceptions about the usability of Thought Spot, which may have contributed to the high attrition rate. User satisfaction and engagement appears to be influenced by content relevance, ease of learning, and the types of features available. Further investigation to understand the contextual factors that affect TAYs' adoption and engagement with digital mental health tools is required.

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Enhancing Self-Efficacy for Help-Seeking Among Transition-Aged Youth in Postsecondary Settings With Mental Health and/or Substance Use Concerns, Using Crowd-Sourced Online and Mobile Technologies: The Thought Spot Protocol

Cited by 33 publications

References 64 publications

A Web- and Mobile-Based Map of Mental Health Resources for Postsecondary Students (Thought Spot): Protocol for an Economic Evaluation (Preprint)

A Web- and Mobile-Based Map of Mental Health Resources for Postsecondary Students (Thought Spot): Protocol for an Economic Evaluation (Preprint)

Youth involvement in alcohol and drug prevention: A systematic review

Assessing the usability and user engagement of Thought Spot - A digital mental health help-seeking solution for transition-aged youth

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