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Human Support as an Engagement Strategy for Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs)
Jannink, Meike (2025) Human Support as an Engagement Strategy for Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs).
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| Abstract: | Digital Mental Health Interventions [DMHIs] offer a scalable, accessible alternative to traditional therapy, addressing the increasing burden on mental health care. Despite their potential, sustaining user engagement with DMHIs remains a critical challenge. This qualitative study design, consisting of three separate focus groups with 13 participants aged 19–23, investigates the role of human support as an engagement strategy in DMHIs. The thematic analysis revealed that human support is perceived to improve engagement by making interventions feel more personal and emotionally supportive. Benefits included improved accessibility, emotional connection, and an improved mental state. However, concerns about the authenticity of digital support, technical disruptions, and privacy issues were also mentioned. Participants expressed a preference for consistent, flexible, and personalised human support, such as regular check-ins, unscheduled calls, and same-person support. Additionally, social features, progress tracking, and an aesthetic design were identified as engagement facilitators. This study provides insights into the importance of using different features in human-supported DMHIs to improve engagement while also addressing factors that could lead to disengagement. Future research could explore cultural variations in preferences, assess the long-term effectiveness of specific human support features, and investigate ways to address privacy concerns to facilitate sustained engagement and trust in DMHIs. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Clients: | Unknown organization, Nederland |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106818 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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