ArticleDigital health
Intention to use digital mental health solutions: A cross-sectional survey of university students attitudes and perceptions toward online therapy, mental health apps, and chatbots.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Acceptability and Perceived Usefulness of a Digital Gambling Harm Minimization Tool: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Assessment of a Digital Health Platform Using Web Analytics and User Experience Measurements: Quantitative Study Based on RE-AIM.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Child and adolescent psychiatry: challenges, solutions, opportunities, and future directions.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- Students' Perspectives on Digital Psychotherapy-Possible Solutions for Digital Inpatient-Like Care Concepts: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR medical education · 2026Article
- Therapy after therapy: Entry rates into subsequent psychological treatment among patients receiving therapist-guided internet-delivered or face-to-face psychotherapy.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
- University Students' Perceptions and Intentions to Use Digital Mental Health Services Including Online Therapy and Mental Health Apps: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Attitudes, Help-Seeking Barriers, and Predictors of Intention to Use Telemental Health Services Among University Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring Students' Perceptions and Usage of Artificial Intelligence in Supporting Mental Health: A Preliminary Study in Higher Education in Qatar.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Help-Seeking Intentions and Preferred Sources for Mental Health Problems Among University Students in Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Help-Seeking in the Age of AI: Cross-Sectional Survey of the Use and Perceptions of AI-Based Mental Health Support Among US Adults.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Bridging the Mental Health Care Gap for International Students via Digital Interventions: Conceptual Foundations and a Five-Stage Model for Culturally Sensitive Design.Counselling psychology quarterly · 2026Article
- Comparing mental health professionals' willingness to use digital therapeutics: a cross-national survey in South Korea and Germany.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Online Racism, Digital Mental Health Tools, and Online Mental Health Communication Among Black Young Adults With and Without Depression or Anxiety: Cross-Sectional Quantitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Artificial intelligence in college students' mental health education: opportunities, challenges, and strategic responses.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Digital therapeutics for stress in health science students at under-resourced universities: A narrative review.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2026Review
- The conflict between need and fear: how privacy concerns moderate the influence of depression on university students' acceptance of AI music therapy.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Digital EduHealth for the wellbeing of minority university students: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Mental health patterns and associated social determinants among university and college students in sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic era: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- As Effective as You Perceive It: The Relationship Between ChatGPT's Perceived Effectiveness and Mental Health Stigma.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Globally, the high prevalence of mental disorders among university students is a growing public health problem, yet a small minority of students with mental health problems receive treatment. Digital mental health solutions could bridge treatment gaps and overcome many barriers students face accessing treatment. However, there is scant evidence, especially in South Africa (SA), relating to university students' use of and intention to use digital mental health solutions or their attitudes towards these technologies. We aim to explore university 2students attitudes towards and perceptions of digital mental health solutions, and the factors associated with their intention to use them. Methods: University students from four SA universities ( Results: Intention to use digital mental health solutions was high, and attitudes towards and perceptions of digital mental health solutions were largely positive. Importantly, our analysis also shows that 12.6% of users were willing to utilise some form of digital mental health solutions but were unwilling to utilise traditional face-to-face therapies. The greatest proportion of variance was explained by the factor 'Attitudes towards digital technologies' utility to improve student counselling services, provided they are safe'. Conclusion: SA university students are already engaging with digital mental health solutions, and their intention to do so is high. Certain attitudes and perceptions, particularly concerning the utility, effectiveness, and safety, underlie willingness to engage with these solutions, providing potential targets for interventions to increase uptake.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.