A qualitative study of medical university students' and stakeholder experiences of, and needs for, information seeking about digital services for the promotion of mental health.

Studies show that university students are a particularly vulnerable group for mental illness (Auerbach et al., 2018). Despite this high level of stress, access to professional mental health support often remains inadequate (Singer et al., 2022). Digital mental health services are therefore becoming increasingly important in this context (Dederichs et al., 2021; Harith et al., 2022). They offer a flexible, scalable and location- and time-independent way to promote mental health (ebd.). Studies have proven their effectiveness and their potential to close existing gaps in care (ebd.). Although digital services are promising, a key hurdle is the lack of awareness and guidance regarding suitable digital support services (Dederichs et al., 2021; Ramos et al., 2024). In order to address these barriers, the eHealth Literacy Framework will be used as a basis for a qualitative study among medical students and university stakeholders about their previous experiences, needs and requirements for the future provision of information about digital services promoting mental health. The results should contribute to the development of recommendations for action for a health-competent university. References Auerbach, R.P. et al. (2018) ‘WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders.’, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(7), pp. 623–638. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000362. Dederichs, M. et al. (2021) ‘Exploring medical students’ views on digital mental health interventions: A qualitative study’, Internet Interventions, 25, p. 100398. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2021.100398. Harith, S. et al. (2022) ‘Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: an umbrella review’, PeerJ, 10, p. e13111. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13111. Singer, S. et al. (2022) ‘Wartezeiten auf einen Psychotherapieplatz vor und nach der Psychotherapiestrukturreform’, Psychotherapeut, 67(2), pp. 176–184. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00278-021-00551-0.