Grant: Team Grant: HCIS - LOI - Healthcare systems, services and policies

The high prevalence of mental challenges and disorders in post-secondary students demands accessible and efficacious mental health care. Electronic psychotherapy (e-psychotherapy) and online psychoeducation programs have shown promise in mitigating clinical symptoms of mental disorders. Therefore, the primary objective of this proposed multi-phase study is to collaborate with knowledge users and stakeholders to develop, administer, and evaluate the efficacy of these digital mental health interventions in post-secondary students. The study will focus on students enrolled in post-secondary institutions within Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFLA) who are across the mental health spectrum. Initially, focus groups will be conducted with diverse student samples to identify common mental challenges and how to best address them. The qualitative findings will then be used to inform the development of online psychoeducation and e-psychotherapy programs as well as increasing city-wide mental health awareness initiatives. The three-week psychoeducation program will be compared to a treatment as usual control and aims to educate participants on general mental health, when to seek help, and appropriate physical activity and dietary strategies. The 12-week e-psychotherapy programs will be administered to students diagnosed with specific mental disorders. The seven e-psychotherapy programs will focus on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), depression (MDD), substance use disorder (SUD), eating disorders (ED), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To improve upon customized and efficient care, the efficacy of e-psychotherapy programs with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and stepped care approaches will be evaluated. These interventions aim to provide the most cost-effective and efficacious programs that support students' psychological health and well-being.