Understanding University Students' Experiences of Engaging With AI and Apps for Their Mental Health and Well-Being: Qualitative Study.

Background: Fully automated digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and apps, provide a particularly promising way to promote and support mental health and well-being in university students due to their accessibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, among other factors. Nevertheless, they are currently impeded by suboptimal engagement and high dropout rates, limiting their effectiveness to promote and support mental health and well-being. Objective: This study aimed to understand university students' experiences of engaging with AI and apps to promote and support mental health and well-being. Methods: University students who did not currently experience a mental health condition were recruited to ensure a nonclinical sample. Qualitative semistructured interviews were adopted and focused on students' experiences of engagement with AI and apps for their mental health and well-being. These interviews were conducted in April and May 2023 and lasted 30 minutes, 2 seconds (SD 9 min, 49 s), on average. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Results: A total of 21 interviews were conducted, and 4 main themes and 4 subthemes were constructed. The first main theme refers to the "need" to engage with AI and apps for mental health and well-being. Specifically, this theme describes how nonclinical students would primarily use these technologies as a support strategy when their mental health and well-being deteriorate, and their preexisting mental health and well-being strategies are insufficient. The second theme refers to AI and apps as both a barrier and solution to stigma; while students are less inclined to access mental health apps due to stigma, they also consider apps to be less intrusive compared with other forms of support. The third theme considers a lack of trust in AI and apps. This lack of trust primarily exists due to skepticism about the capabilities of AI and apps supporting and promoting mental health and well-being, and skepticism about their ability to safeguard mental health and well-being. The final theme describes how usage is dependent on unique AI and app characteristics. Students may engage more in AI and apps when humanity, warmth, and care are considered less crucial, and when a lack of judgment and pressure is considered imperative. Conclusions: Overall, nonclinical university students were more likely to engage with AI and apps when they experienced a decline in their mental health and well-being. Thus, it could be more beneficial to adopt apps as a support strategy rather than as a promotional strategy in a nonclinical sample. Furthermore, future policy and practice should implement strategies to safeguard mental health and well-being and provide open and honest communication about the capabilities of AI and apps in order to build trust and enhance engagement with digital technologies for mental health support.