JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The mental health of international students is a growing concern for education providers, students, and their families. Chinese international students have low rates of help-seeking due to language, stigma, and mental health literacy barriers. Online help-seeking interventions may improve Chinese international student help‐seeking.

Objective:

To describe the development of a mental wellbeing app providing personalised feedback and tailored psychoeducation and resources to support help-seeking among Chinese first-language international university students, and test its uptake and engagement.

Methods:

The MindYourHead app was co-developed through a user-centred design process with Chinese international students in Australia. A feasibility trial was conducted within a School at the University of Sydney to examine the uptake and engagement of the app among Chinese international students. The trial also explored if any demographic characteristics or help-seeking attitudes or intentions were associated with app engagement.

Results:

A total of 130 Chinese international students signed up to the app, suggesting an uptake of 13.4% of the School’s Chinese student enrolment. Students preferred to use the app in Chinese. Almost two thirds of participants indicated that they had experienced poor mental health in the past, but only 20% had sought help from a mental health professional or general practitioner. There was significant attrition due to a design issue and only 46 students gained access to the full contents of the app. Of these, 67.4% of participants completed one or more of the in-app mental wellbeing assessments. The most commonly engaged being distress (50%), stress (37%), and sleep (33%). Participants were more likely to engage with an in-app survey if they had previously sought help for their mental health from a friend.

Conclusions:

There were promising levels of demand, uptake, and engagement with the MindYourHead app. The app appears to attract students who had a need with poor mental health in the past but reliance on informal support, and those who are at moderate- or high-risk of poor mental wellbeing. Findings suggest that developing mental health apps available in the native language of the target population improves engagement. A randomised control trial is required to test the effect of the app on Chinese international student’s mental health awareness and help seeking.