College Students’ Openness Toward Mobile-Based Mental Health Applications

Marginalized groups, particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, face higher mental health risks, such as stress and anxiety. However, research on college students' attitudes toward mental health interventions is limited. Barriers to accessing mental health services include inconvenient locations, limited hours, lack of time, and insufficient awareness of available resources. Factors like accessibility, availability, affordability, and acceptability impede students from seeking care. Mobile-based mental health applications (MHAs) offer a potential solution but research on college students' attitudes toward these apps is scarce. This study used a web-based questionnaire to explore students' openness to MHAs and found that they are generally unfamiliar with them but are open to using them. The findings suggest that raising awareness of MHAs and providing accessible, affordable, and acceptable options are crucial. Future research should identify what motivates students to download and consistently use MHAs and explore how colleges can better implement these applications across campuses.