Abstract
BackgroundResearch has shown that improving well-being using positive mental health interventions can be useful for predicting and preventing mental illness. Implementing online interventions may be an effective way to reach young people, given their familiarity with technology.ObjectiveThis study will assess the effectiveness of a website called the “Online Wellbeing Centre (OWC),” designed for the support and improvement of mental health and well-being in young Australians aged between 16 and 25 years. As the active component of the study, the OWC will introduce a self-guided app recommendation service called “The Toolbox: The best apps for your brain and body” developed by ReachOut.com. The Toolbox is a responsive website that serves as a personalized, ongoing recommendation service for technology-based tools and apps to improve well-being. It allows users to personalize their experience according to their individual needs.MethodsThis study will be a two-arm, randomized controlled trial following a wait-list control design. The primary outcome will be changes in psychological well-being measured by the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. The secondary outcomes will be drawn from a subsample of participants and will include depression scores measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and quality of life measured by the Assessment of Quality of Life-four dimensions (AQOL-4D) index. Cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted based on a primary outcome of cost per unique visit to the OWC. Utility-based outcomes will also be incorporated into the analysis allowing a secondary outcome to be cost per quality-adjusted life year gained (based on the AQOL-4D values). Resource use associated with both the intervention and control groups will be collected using a customized questionnaire. Online- and community-based recruitment strategies will be implemented, and the effectiveness of each approach will be analyzed. Participants will be recruited from the general Australian population and randomized online. The trial will last for 4 weeks.ResultsSmall but clinically significant increases in well-being symptoms are expected to be detected in the intervention group compared with the control group.ConclusionsIf this intervention proves to be effective, it will have an impact on the future design and implementation of online-based well-being interventions as a valid and cost-effective way to support mental health clinical treatment. Findings regarding recruitment effectiveness will also contribute to developing better ways to engage this population in research.ClinicalTrialThis study is registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000710628.
Highlights
BackgroundPositive mental health implies more than just the absence of illness, it relates to positive symptoms and emphasizes psychological, social, and generative dimensions such as positive affect, personal growth, social actualization, and social contribution among others [1,2]
JMIR Res Protoc 2015 | vol 4 | iss. 2 | e48 | p.1. If this intervention proves to be effective, it will have an impact on the future design and implementation of online-based well-being interventions as a valid and cost-effective way to support mental health clinical treatment
ClinicalTrial: This study is registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000710628. (JMIR Res Protoc 2015;4(2):e48) doi:10.2196/resprot
Summary
BackgroundPositive mental health implies more than just the absence of illness, it relates to positive symptoms and emphasizes psychological, social, and generative dimensions such as positive affect, personal growth, social actualization, and social contribution among others [1,2]. There is evidence that people with high levels of positive mental health are physically healthier, live longer, are more productive at work, and use less health care [3]. A study conducted in South Australia reported that less than half of South Australian young people (42%) aged 13-17 years had a flourishing diagnosis of mental health, with even lower rates reported in rural areas [7]. This means that at the time of the study, 58% of young people in South Australia had less than a complete state of mental health (flourishing), and might be more vulnerable to struggle in one or more areas of their lives. Implementing online interventions may be an effective way to reach young people, given their familiarity with technology
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