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© 2025. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background:The rising prevalence of mental health concerns among students is prompting universities to explore innovative solutions to support student well-being. This paper describes the protocol for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a mobile app designed to address the mental health and wellness needs of students. This project employs a student-centered approach, partnering with students from the initial needs analysis through to the final design and implementation stages.

Objective:The app aims to increase the use of campus resources that address student mental health and wellness by improving the awareness of these resources through user-designated preferences that are established on the initial use of the app and then iteratively refined as it is used. The app is linked to the campus student’s electronic health record so that health and wellness services can be coordinated and enhanced and the student journey to and through care become more seamless. The long-term objective is to leverage data from both the app and electronic health record to improve individual and population health for the entire campus.

Methods:At the beginning of the project, a comprehensive logic model was created to outline the core inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts that were desired for the app. The model emphasized the integration of the app within existing campus mental health and wellness services and its potential to foster a culture of well-being across the university community. An evaluation plan was developed that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative methods through biannual assessments to track trends and app impact across campus in addition to feasibility, acceptability, and usability as well as its reach, effectiveness, and sustainability. Validated measures such as the Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale were selected to track changes in mental health and wellness, while custom surveys and analytics will gauge user engagement and satisfaction. New students, including freshmen, transfers, and first-year medical students, are invited to participate after giving informed consent. They receive compensation for their involvement in both quantitative and qualitative assessments.

Results:As of March 2025, we have collected over 600 survey responses from freshmen, transfer, and medical students. A second survey round and additional focus groups are planned for April to May 2025. No analyses have been conducted yet. The findings from this project have the potential to inform similar efforts at other institutions and contribute to the broader field of digital mental health innovation and the development of well-being interventions tailored for young people.

Conclusions:By leveraging digital technology and actively engaging students in supporting their well-being, this initiative represents an innovative user-centered approach to improve mental health and wellness support on university campuses.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID):DERR1-10.2196/68368

Details

Title
A Human-Centered Approach for a Student Mental Health and Well-Being Mobile App: Protocol for Development, Implementation, and Evaluation
Author
Gholami, Maryam  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Wing, David  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Manas Satish Bedmutha  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Godino, Job  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ibarra, Anahi  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fergerson, Byron  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; May, Nicole  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Longhurst, Christopher A  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Weibel, Nadir  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Duffy, Anne  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Rataj, Heidi  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Singh, Karandeep  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Patrick, Kevin  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
e68368
Section
Non-randomized Protocols and Methods (ehealth)
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
JMIR Publications
e-ISSN
19290748
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3232146651
Copyright
© 2025. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.