Abstract
BackgroundIn the United States, millions of adolescents report poor mental health, where 1 in 5 teenagers considers suicide. Reducing stigma and fostering peer support remains critical for positive mental health interventions and programs. Increasingly, digital mental health tools have emerged with great promise, leveraging social networks. Despite the potential, limited understanding of such comprehensive programs and their implementation exist.ObjectiveThe objective of this study investigates a piloted digital mental health training program (Be Present) for youth, specifically describing the impact on youth behavioral outcomes and user engagement and identifying high-risk youth in the early phases of prevention.MethodsEligibility included Ohio residents (aged 14 to 22 years) to be enrolled as either a Friend or a Peer Advocate. From May 1 to June 1, 2019, participants completed the Advocate training course, taking pretest and posttest surveys. Single-arm descriptive analyses measured youth outcomes (self-efficacy, intentions, behaviors, social support, knowledge, and sources of strength) and engagement and assessed risk based on survey responses.ResultsA total of 65 adolescents participated, with 54 completing both pretest and posttest surveys. The majority of participants included non-Hispanic White females. Findings illustrated a significant increase in self-report of referrals for mental health services as well as in perceptions that youth had of experiencing social support; however, no significant differences were found for measures of self-efficacy, knowledge, and sources of strength between pretest and posttest surveys. Roughly two-thirds of the participants completed all of the Advocate training modules, and we observed a gradual decline in engagement. Most respondents who received escalated high-risk response messages identified as female.ConclusionsThe pilot presented promise for implementing a digital mental health program focused on peer support, specifically observing reported youth behavioral outcomes and user engagement and identifying high-risk youth. Various limitations exist given the small nonrepresentative sample and lack of control group. All findings should be considered preliminary to a larger trial and underscore the feasibility of delivering online training programs to bolster adolescent mental health. Such formative evaluation proved critical for future implementation and research, offering opportunity for substantial improvements for real-world digital mental health programs.
Highlights
BackgroundIn the United States every year, 1 in 5 teenagers considers suicide, and approximately 1 million teenagers have reported attempting suicide [1]
Addressing mental illness and stigma associated with mental illness and equipping teens with skills to handle stressors associated with this period of life is critical for an intervention that targets suicide prevention
Peer support is critical for any intervention targeting teenagers; this is especially true in mental health interventions
Summary
BackgroundIn the United States every year, 1 in 5 teenagers considers suicide, and approximately 1 million teenagers have reported attempting suicide [1]. Youth who are suicidal are more likely to talk to other youth about being suicidal than to adults [5] Understanding this peer support in teens can be coupled with mental health education to both raise awareness and challenge existing stigma associated with mental illness [6]. Conclusions: The pilot presented promise for implementing a digital mental health program focused on peer support, observing reported youth behavioral outcomes and user engagement and identifying high-risk youth. All findings should be considered preliminary to a larger trial and underscore the feasibility of delivering online training programs to bolster adolescent mental health Such formative evaluation proved critical for future implementation and research, offering opportunity for substantial improvements for real-world digital mental health programs
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