Parent’s Perception and Willingness for Using Internet Based Mental Health Application for Children

Abstract

The trend of using mobile applications in evaluating, supporting mental health issues is becoming more and more popular in the world but yet has not been studied in Vietnam. The paper aims to (1) discuss the current situation of using internet based mental health applications from previous studies as well as evidences for effectiveness of these applications; (2) investigate parents' perceptions and willingness for using mental health applications for their children as well as obstacle against them. The survey was conducted on 123 parents of high school age children who were recruited at a school in Long Bien district - Hanoi, Vietnam. The literature review results show that mental health software applications on the internet have been used in many countries around the world and initially proved the financial advantages easy to access to services and effectiveness than traditional interventions in some mental health problems. The quantitative results indicated that parents' understanding of online counseling is limited. After being introduced and experiencing the functionality of some apps, parents are more willing to let their children use the apps (except for serious issues like self-harm, suicide, addiction or violations. law); tend to be more available to the features of the app when automatically sending assessment information, course information or connecting parents and experts to support children. Although parents also express their readiness for their children to use the app, they are also concerned about the confidentiality of the information, the legality and effectiveness of the app or the advice of experts. Artificial intelligence of the application. Some parents are hesitant to use it because of lack of technology capacity, worry about online payment at risk or not being accepted by insurance. Some recommendations and limitations of the study are also given.