Currently submitted to: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Aug 6, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Aug 6, 2026 - Oct 1, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Development of a Community-Oriented Digital Mental Health Support Platform in Vietnam: A Participatory Formative Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Community access to mental health information and early support remains limited in Vietnam because specialist services are scarce, service coverage is uneven, and stigma continues to hinder help-seeking. Digital platforms may offer a scalable, low-intensity entry point, but their content and design must be scientifically sound, culturally relevant, understandable, and acceptable to intended users.
Objective:
This study aimed to describe the participatory formative development, content structure, and key functions of a community-oriented digital mental health support platform for use in Vietnam.
Methods:
A 3-phase formative study was conducted from March 2023 to March 2025. Phase 1 synthesized published evidence, technical guidance, and previous local studies to develop a preliminary content and functional framework. In phase 2, 11 multidisciplinary experts reviewed the platform for scientific accuracy, cultural relevance, accessibility, safety, and feasibility. In phase 3, 8 focus group discussions involving 40 adult community members assessed comprehensibility, relevance, acceptability, navigation, and referral needs. Feedback was analyzed using a matrix-based framework approach and used to refine the platform.
Results:
Five initial content domains were organized into 4 components: a mental health information library, standardized self-assessment tools, practical self-care resources, and a directory of professional support services. Expert feedback led to simpler terminology, more practical examples, and the removal or simplification of overly complex content. Community feedback resulted in shorter, action-oriented guidance, more relatable scenarios, additional content on family communication and social support, and improved content organization and navigation.
Conclusions:
A community-oriented digital mental health support platform was developed using scientific evidence, multidisciplinary expertise, and potential end-user feedback. Further evaluation of usability, feasibility, safety, and effectiveness is needed before broader implementation.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.