Digital Platform for Pediatric Mental Health Support During Armed Conflicts: Development and Usability Study.

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Digital Health Interventions
• Public Health

Background:

• Mental health disorders in children are a significant public health concern, with those exposed to armed conflict at higher risk.
• Pediatricians are crucial for early intervention but face training and resource limitations.
• The October 7th attack in Israel highlighted the urgent need for accessible mental health resources for children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rapidly develop a digital mental health tool for community pediatricians.
• To provide a comprehensive resource for emotional and behavioral challenges in children, focusing on trauma exposure.
• To evaluate the platform's usability and relevance for pediatric practice.

Main Methods:

• A collaborative development process involving pediatricians and mental health professionals.
• Content creation based on identified emotional/behavioral issues and expert input.
• Evaluation through a focus group of 7 primary users using questionnaires and qualitative feedback.

Main Results:

• Development of 15 detailed modules covering anamnesis, interventions, parental guidance, and referrals.
• High user satisfaction with user experience (4.57/5), content relevance (4.71/5), and layout (4.66/5).
• Strong user willingness to integrate the platform into regular practice (4.40/5).

Conclusions:

• A collaborative approach effectively created a valuable digital tool for pediatric mental health.
• The platform shows potential for early recognition, crisis intervention, and parental support in pediatric settings.
• Future research will focus on wider implementation and clinical outcome assessment.