College students experience a high prevalence of mood disorders, largely due to unstable life structure. This group encounters multiple barriers in accessing mental health treatment, including a...Show moreCollege students experience a high prevalence of mood disorders, largely due to unstable life structure. This group encounters multiple barriers in accessing mental health treatment, including a demanding schedules limited time, stigma, and a tight budget. Moodpep, an online eHealth intervention designed to address depressive symptoms, helps overcome these barriers. This study investigated the effectiveness of Moodpep, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based online intervention for students with depressive symptoms, and examined whether its effects persisted during follow-up. Additionally, this study explored the impact of gender, concurrent treatment, and the differential improvement between clinically and subclinically depressed participants. The sample consisted of 255 students from 9 universities in the Netherlands. Repeated measures ANOVA and independent samples t-tests were used for data-analysis. The findings indicated that depressive symptoms significantly reduced after completing Moodpep, with these improvements maintained at the six-month follow-up. Gender and concurrent treatments did not have a significant effect on the outcomes. Notably, participants with clinical levels of depression showed greater improvement compared to those with subclinical symptoms. Despite these promising results, the study faced limitations, including high dropout rates, uncertainty regarding the reasons for dropout, lack of a control group and regression toward the mean. Future research should focus on understanding dropout causes, conducting randomized controlled trials, evaluating long-term effects, and exploring the integration of eHealth interventions with traditional face-to-face treatments. Moodpep offers a promising early intervention for depressive symptoms by providing an anonymous, travel-free, flexible treatment option accessible to all students. The practical implication could be increased by raising awareness of Moodpep's availability.Show less
E-health technologies are being used increasingly much worldwide, a trend that is also visible in the Ugandan context. This thesis sought to investigate whether the use of blended forms of e...Show moreE-health technologies are being used increasingly much worldwide, a trend that is also visible in the Ugandan context. This thesis sought to investigate whether the use of blended forms of e-learning and e-consultations can improve the experiences and outcomes of the use of these technologies. The chosen case study is a social organisation that practices e-health in the Central region of Ugandan. The main methods used are semi-structured interviews and field observations. The analysis, which used self-determination theory as a theoretical framework, found that blended learning provides the ability to improve the experience and outcomes of CHWs because it enhanced the opportunities to fulfil the needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness required for self-determination. Similarly, the research also found that blended care has the potential to improve the experience and outcomes of patients because it offers the ability to increase the needs of autonomy (although findings were rather limited for this), competence and relatedness. As such, this study concludes that there is a need for greater reflection and inclusion of blended methods in e-health.Show less
Background: Serious games for mental health purposes is a young but rapidly growing concept, however, implementation in clinical practice lags behind. Knowing the characteristics and attitudes of...Show moreBackground: Serious games for mental health purposes is a young but rapidly growing concept, however, implementation in clinical practice lags behind. Knowing the characteristics and attitudes of the users, mental health professionals, will aid in seeking the optimal design and more efficient implementation. Objective: We wanted to gain more insight on what professionals want from the games, and if knowledge about games or practicing different therapeutic modalities is related to attitude on serious games. Method: We surveyed 123 MPHs via a cross-sectional online survey about technology usage, gaming knowledge, and attitudes towards serious games. Data were analysed using a t-test, chi-square test, exploratory factor analysis, and an ANOVA. Results: The results showed that overall interest to implement serious games with their own clients was high (75.6%), and perceived benefits outweighed perceived disadvantages, but current implementation rate was very low (.8%). The biggest reason for not wanting to use serious games was lack of knowledge (14.6%). Knowledge about gaming was significantly positively correlated to overall attitude, and with willingness to implement. There was no significant relationship between any specific therapeutic modality and the overall attitude towards serious games, which contradicts results from previous studies. Conclusion: Knowledge about games increases the attitude and willingness to try serious games with clients. Most mental health professionals reported to have beginner knowledge, thus educating them about (serious) gaming could help with implementation and adherence. More research is needed to map out why the professionals who are interested have not yet tried serious games. User-centred design (UCD) should be widely implemented when developing serious games for mental health purposes.Show less
