Development and experimental study of mental health app for university students

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K13031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Kajitani Kosuke 九州大学, キャンパスライフ・健康支援センター, 准教授 (10597272)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 金子 晃介 九州大学, サイバーセキュリティセンター, 准教授 (30735121) ; 金 大雄 九州大学, 芸術工学研究院, 教授 (90346859) ; 福盛 英明 九州大学, キャンパスライフ・健康支援センター, 准教授 (40304844) ; 松下 智子 九州大学, キャンパスライフ・健康支援センター, 准教授 (40618071)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: メンタルヘルス / スマートフォン / 大学生 / デザイン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purposes of this study are as follows; 1) We independently develop a smartphone app called the ‘Mental App’, which is designed for university students according to the results obtained from a questionnaire and log data, 2) Using psychological tests, we examined the app’s effect on the mental state of university students. In the first year of this study, we determine the content of the smartphone app.In the second year of this study, we design the app for university students. We improve all problems of the prototype app, and make the final version of the app.A total of 68 students participated, of which 57 students completed the study (app user group, n = 28; control group, n = 29). After using the app for 2 weeks, the score of GHQ-12 was significantly improved compared to control group. This non-randomized controlled pilot study indicates that the app we developed, may provide effective mental health care for university students, even in the short-term.

Free Research Field

精神医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究によって、開発したアプリが大学生のメンタルヘルスケアに有用であることが示唆された。大学生を含めた若者の多くが、メンタルヘルスに問題を抱えても相談を躊躇することが多いため、スマートフォンアプリという若者に馴染み深いツールによって、学生のメンタルヘルス維持に貢献できる。