College students’ perceptions of telemental health to address their mental health needs

Abstract

Objective: To understand the feasibility of using telehealth for mental health services among college students. Participants: College students (N = 16) attending a university in Southern California, 18 years or older, and living in the residential halls. Methods: Two face-to-face semi-structured focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured moderator guide. Written consent and a demographic survey were completed. Descriptive thematic analysis was conducted independently by members of the research team. Results: Participants reported mixed feelings about their level of comfort using technology to access mental health services. Some participants acknowledged the value of using technology, while many voiced issues of distrust and privacy, in addition to the loss of empathy and personal connection with the mental health practitioner. Conclusion: Offering a menu of telehealth options including a hybrid approach (in-person/telehealth) may be necessary to address the issues of comfort, privacy, and trust to effectively reach college students with technology-based mental health services.

Keywords:

• College students
• mental health
• technology acceptance
• telehealth
• university
• young adults

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Lea Ann Gomez and Alex Garbanati for their assistance with data collection and transcription. We also acknowledge University Housing and Residential Life at California State University Long Beach for working closely with the research team to recruit participants. Finally, we thank the college students who shared their perspective and experiences with us.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of California State University, Long Beach.

Funding

Funding was provided by the State of California, Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Award #18-90714.