Department of Psychology

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Browsing Department of Psychology by browse.metadata.advisor "Coetzee, Bronwyne Jo'sean"

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    Students’ attitudes and beliefs towards e-mental health interventions
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Van Der Poll, Ryan Deon; Coetzee, Bronwyne Jo'sean; Bantjes, Jason; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background. Mental health problems among university students are common and, left-untreated, are associated with multiple adverse effects such as academic failure, suicidal thoughts & behaviour (STB) and severe role impairment. Despite the high rates of mental health problems amongst university students, most students do not seek out or receive support and those who do, face long waiting times and high costs. Available evidence suggests that e-mental health interventions may hold promise in bridging the mental health treatment gap amongst university students. However, the acceptability and feasibility of using e-mental health interventions among South African university students has not been extensively researched. Aims. In this exploratory qualitative study, I aimed to explore the acceptability and feasibility of e-mental health interventions by eliciting the attitudes and beliefs toward the use of e-mental health interventions amongst a sample of university students registered at Stellenbosch University (SU). The following three research questions helped me to achieve my aim, namely: (1) What are students’ lived experiences of using e-mental health interventions? (2) What are students’ beliefs and attitudes towards the use of e-mental health interventions? And (3) What suggestions do students have for the potential use of e-mental health interventions on campus? Methods. Undergraduate students registered at SU during 2021 were invited by me to participate in a focus group, either in-person or online. A total of 51 participants took part in 11 online (N=37) and four in-person (N=14) focus groups. Both online and in-person focus groups were audio-recorded with permission from the participants. These recordings were then transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Finally, the results were interpreted within the framework of the Health Belief Model. Findings. I identified six themes and 15 sub-themes that provided insight into participants’ attitudes and beliefs towards e-mental health interventions. Participants reported having used e-mental health applications (apps) before and mostly had positive experiences of using these apps. Students reported that the anonymity, privacy, informality, accessibility and flexibility of these apps were amongst their many benefits. However, students reported some concerns around the effectiveness of these apps and whether any professionals in mental health were involved in the development of these apps. Students also reported that some connection (whether in person or online) with a mental health professional was necessary and important to them. Participants suggested that essential app features were those that promoted social connection, peer support, and links to mental health support services. Conclusion. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that students are familiar with e-mental health apps and have mostly had positive experiences with them suggesting acceptability and feasibility of e-mental health interventions. However, the extent to which an e-mental health intervention can practically, and effectively be implemented and delivered to university students in South Africa still needs to be determined.