Minimally Guided App-Based Intervention for Nontreatment-Seeking Psychologically Distressed Adults: Protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Digital mental health interventions
• Public health
• Clinical psychology

Background:

• Mental health conditions present a global burden, with significant treatment gaps due to barriers like stigma and limited access.
• Mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer scalable solutions, yet evidence from low-income countries like India is scarce, especially for those not seeking treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess a minimally guided mobile app's effectiveness in promoting professional mental health help-seeking among distressed, treatment-naïve Indian adults.
• To evaluate the app's impact on perceived barriers, help-seeking inclination, and psychological distress.
• To document users' perceived benefits of the mobile intervention.

Main Methods:

• A parallel-arm randomized controlled trial comparing a multimodule app (intervention) with a mood-logging app (control).
• Assessments at baseline, 5 weeks, and 1-month follow-up using standardized tools.
• Primary outcome: actual help-seeking behavior; secondary outcomes: inclination, barriers, distress, and benefits.

Main Results:

• The trial is currently in the recruitment and data collection phase, with enrollment ongoing.
• Data collection is expected to conclude by July 2026.
• Study findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication by December 2026.

Conclusions:

• The study will yield contextually relevant data on mobile app interventions for improving professional help-seeking in India.
• Findings can inform the development and scaling of accessible digital mental health solutions in low-resource settings.
• This research addresses the critical need to bridge the mental health treatment gap.