Barriers and Enablers to Young People’s Posting, Responding, and Reading Behaviors on Mental Health Forums Using the Behavior Change Wheel: Qualitative Study

This study contributes to the existing knowledge base by examining the different ways in which young people engage with youth mental health forums. Different strategies may be prioritized and adopted depending on whether forum providers aim to increase more active forms of engagement (eg, posting and responding, which can be encouraged by fostering positive interactions with other users) or overall engagement (eg, establishing clear rules of engagement and optimizing web page content for mobile access can benefit all forms of engagement). These insights can help improve the delivery of youth mental health forums and foster a positive ecosystem of support for young people.