JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health problems are prevalent among young people aged 16 to 24. With the healthcare system prioritising severe cases, most young people wait months before accessing professional support. One-to-one helplines offer alternative and accessible mental health services for young people with emotional support, psychoeducation, and signposting. Signposting empowers young people to access long-term support beyond a brief helpline session; however, young people often choose not to access the signposting resources. Despite its importance, there is a dearth of existing research examining signposting via digital mental health helplines for young people.

Objective:

Using survey data from The Mix, a UK charity supporting under 25s, the present study conducted a mixed-methods analysis of their multi-channel (webchat, email, telephone, and web-based contact form) helpline survey between February 2020 and October 2023. The analytic sample included 296 participants with 822 signposts.

Methods:

Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted with “Yes (Used it and found it useful)” as the reference category and thematic analysis of 106 open-ended responses from 97 participants was used to explore young people’s experiences.

Results:

In the overall model, which included all predictors, webchat users identifying as White, female, and aged 16-19 were significantly more likely to use and find signposts helpful than to perceive them as unhelpful, not intent to use them, or only plan to use them later (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = [0.17, 0.46], P < .001). Thematic analysis of open-ended responses revealed that young people found the choice of signposts relevant and appreciated how signposting was integrated with emotional support. Young people also felt more hopeful after being signposted to resources and gained both clarity and insights into the support available. However, they also noted challenges such as feeling overwhelmed or encountering outdated resources.

Conclusions:

Recommendations to improve signposting include updating signposting databases and tailoring signposting to provide more inclusive services for minoritised groups.