Short-term effect of a smartphone application on the mental health of university students: A pilot study using a user-centered design self-monitoring application for mental health

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 9; p. e0239592
• Main Authors: Kajitani, Kosuke, Higashijima, Ikumi, Kaneko, Kosuke, Matsushita, Tomoko, Fukumori, Hideaki, Kim, Daewoong, Hashimoto, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 25.09.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; Cellular telephones; Clinical trials; College students; Computer and Information Sciences; Counseling; Engineering and Technology; Epidemiology; Health aspects; Health care; Health sciences; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health care; Mobile applications; Polls & surveys; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychological aspects; Psychological assessment; Psychological tests; Public health; Questionnaires; Research and Analysis Methods; Smart phones; Smartphones; Social Sciences; Stigma; Students; Suicides & suicide attempts; Teenagers; University students; Usability; User groups; User-centered design; Young adults; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239592

Despite the widespread recognition of the importance of mental health in young people, only a small proportion of young people with a mental disorder, including university students, receive mental health care. We developed a smartphone application (Mental App) for the university students and examined the effects of the app on their mental health. The app was designed according to a questionnaire survey conducted before this study. The Mental App was installed on the students' smartphone and the psychological tests (the Link Stigma Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire) were performed on the same day. After using the App for two weeks, the students completed a questionnaire survey and underwent the same psychological tests. We compared the results between the app user and non-user group. A total of 68 students participated, of which 57 students completed the study (app user group, n = 28; control group, n = 29). The mean number of days spent using the app was 5.66 ± 3.16 (mean ± SD). The mean total screen time of the app was 9:03 ± 06:41(min:sec). The mean number of total actions (screen taps or swipes) was 161.91 ± 107.34. There were no significant between-group differences in the [DELTA]Link Stigma Scale score (-0.11 ± 4.28 vs. -0.59 ± 3.30, p = 0.496) or the [DELTA]Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score (-4.39 ± 7.13 vs. -2.07 ± 8.78, p = 0.143). There was a significant between-group difference in the [DELTA]General Health Questionnaire score (-2.21± 2.23 vs. -0.17 ± 2.69, p = 0.007). This non-randomized controlled pilot study indicates that the app we developed, may provide effective mental health care for university students, even in the short-term.