Facilitating mental health help-seeking by young adults with a dedicated online program: a feasibility study of Link
Open accessAbstract
Objective: To explore the feasibility of a dedicated online youth mental health help-seeking intervention and to evaluate using a randomised controlled trial (RCT) study design in order to identify any modifications needed before commencement of the full-scale RCT. Design: A pilot RCT with 1:1 randomisation to either the intervention or comparison arm. Setting: An online study conducted Australia-wide. Participants: 18–25 year olds living in Australia were recruited via social media. Intervention: Link is a dedicated online mental health help-seeking navigation tool that matches user’s mental health issues, severity and service-type preferences (online, phone and face-to-face) with appropriate youth-friendly services. The comparison arm was usual help-seeking strategies with a link to Google.com. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was the number of acceptability and feasibility criteria successfully met. Intervention and study design acceptability and feasibility were assessed by nine criteria. Secondary outcomes, via online surveys (at baseline, 1 week and 1 month) measured service use, help-seeking intentions, psychological distress, barriers to help-seeking, attitudes towards mental health help-seeking, mental health literacy, satisfaction and trust. Results: Fifty-one participants were randomised (intervention: n=24; comparison: n=27). Three out of four of the intervention and two out of five of the study design criteria were met. Unmet criteria could be addressed by modifications to the study design. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that Link was useful to participants and may have increased their positive experiences towards help-seeking. There were no observable differences between arms in any outcome measures and no harms were detected. Conclusion: Generally, the Link intervention and study design were acceptable and feasible with modifications suggested for the four out of nine unmet criteria. The main trial will hence have shorter surveys and a simpler recruitment process, use positive affect as the primary outcome and will not link to Google.com for the comparison arm. Trial registration number: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12614000386639.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Recent research has attempted to improve rates of mental health help-seeking through TPB-based interventions, but these are yet to be reviewed.
“Recent research has attempted to improve rates of mental health help-seeking through TPB-based interventions [37–39], however these are yet to be reviewed.”
From Explaining adults’ mental health help-seeking through the lens of the theory of planned behavior: A scoping review (2022) · cites this paper as [38]
An online navigation tool for young adults designed to match participants with appropriate services did not demonstrate improvements in help-seeking intentions; changes in other TPB variables were not assessed.
“Finally, an online navigation tool for young adults designed to match participants with appropriate services did not demonstrate improvements in help-seeking intentions; changes in other TPB variables were not assessed [37, 38].”
From Explaining adults’ mental health help-seeking through the lens of the theory of planned behavior: A scoping review (2022) · cites this paper as [38]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Developing and evaluating complex interventions: the new Medical Research Council guidance
Craig, P., Dieppe, P., Macintyre, S., Michie, S., Nazareth, I., & Petticrew, M. (2008) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.a1655 · Cited by 10,995 · see citing works
KESSLER, R. C., ANDREWS, G., COLPE, L. J., HIRIPI, E., MROCZEK, D. K., NORMAND, S.-L. T., WALTERS, E. E., & ZASLAVSKY, A. M. (2002) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291702006074 · Cited by 10,327 · see citing works
Whiteford, H. A., Degenhardt, L., Rehm, J., Baxter, A. J., Ferrari, A. J., Erskine, H. E., Charlson, F. J., Norman, R. E., Flaxman, A. D., Johns, N., et al. (2013) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61611-6 · Cited by 6,006 · see citing works
The Revised CONSORT Statement for Reporting Randomized Trials: Explanation and Elaboration
Altman, D. G., Schulz, K. F., Moher, D., Egger, M., Davidoff, F., Elbourne, D., Gøtzsche, P. C., Lang, T., & for the CONSORT Group (2001) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/0003-4819-134-8-200104170-00012 · Cited by 3,835 · see citing works
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037//0003-066x.56.3.218 · Cited by 3,512 · see citing works
Clement, S., Schauman, O., Graham, T., Maggioni, F., Evans-Lacko, S., Bezborodovs, N., Morgan, C., Rüsch, N., Brown, J. S. L., & Thornicroft, G. (2015) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291714000129 · Cited by 3,152 · see citing works
Crawford, J. R., & Henry, J. D. (2004) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1348/0144665031752934 · Cited by 2,957 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Therefore, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule will be used to assess positive affect after participants have been exposed to their intervention, as the primary outcome.(43)”
BackgroundMethodAssessment of client/patient satisfaction: development of a general scale
Larsen, D. L., Attkisson, C. C., Hargreaves, W. A., & Nguyen, T. D. (1979) · Evaluation and Program Planning · doi:10.1016/0149-7189(79)90094-6 · Cited by 2,887 · see citing works
Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals Toward Emotional Well-Being
Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00431 · Cited by 2,655 · see citing works
Positive affect and the other side of coping.
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.55.6.647 · Cited by 2,471 · see citing works
Mental health literacy: Public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders
Jorm, A. F. (2000) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.177.5.396 · Cited by 2,114 · see citing works
Grand challenges in global mental health
Collins, P. Y., Patel, V., Joestl, S. S., March, D., Insel, T. R., Daar, A. S., Bordin, I. A., Costello, E. J., Durkin, M., Fairburn, C., et al. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/475027a · Cited by 2,043 · see citing works
Consumer health information seeking on the internet: the state of the art
Cline, R. J. W. (2001) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/16.6.671 · Cited by 1,708 · see citing works
Young People’s Help-Seeking for Mental Health Problems
Rickwood, D., Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2005) · Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health · doi:10.5172/jamh.4.3.218 · Cited by 1,619 · see citing works
(2004) · City Research Online (City University London) · Cited by 1,385 · see citing works
Adherence in Internet Interventions for Anxiety and Depression
Christensen, H., Griffiths, K. M., & Farrer, L. (2009) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1194 · Cited by 1,133 · see citing works
Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2000) · Prevention & Treatment · doi:10.1037/1522-3736.3.1.31a · Cited by 1,052 · see citing works
Treweek, S. P., Lockhart, P., Pitkethly, M., Cook, J. A., Kjeldstrøm, M., Johansen, M., Taskila, T. K., Sullivan, F., Wilson, S., Jackson, C. M., et al. (2013) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002360 · Cited by 625 · see citing works
Youth-friendly primary-care services: how are we doing and what more needs to be done?
Tylee, A., Haller, D. M., Graham, T., Churchill, R., & Sanci, L. A. (2007) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)60371-7 · Cited by 622 · see citing works
Self-citation(2005) · Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy · Cited by 612 · see citing works
Shortfall in mental health service utilisation
Andrews, G., Issakidis, C., & Carter, G. (2001) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.179.5.417 · Cited by 420 · see citing works
Ramo, D. E., & Prochaska, J. J. (2012) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1878 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Do online mental health services improve help-seeking for young people? A systematic review
Kauer, S. D., Mangan, C., & Sanci, L. (2014) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.3103 · Cited by 339 · see citing works
Self-citationThe internet as a setting for mental health service utilisation by young people
Burns, J. M., Davenport, T. A., Durkin, L. A., Luscombe, G. M., & Hickie, I. B. (2010) · Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03688.x · Cited by 257 · see citing works
Measuring Barriers to Help-Seeking Behavior in Adolescents
Kuhl, J., Jarkon-Horlick, L., & Morrissey, R. F. (1997) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1023/a:1022367807715 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Jorm, A. F., Wright, A., & Morgan, A. J. (2007) · Early Intervention in Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1751-7893.2007.00012.x · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Methodological Challenges in Online Trials
Murray, E., Khadjesari, Z., White, I. R., Kalaitzaki, E., Godfrey, C., McCambridge, J., Thompson, S. G., & Wallace, P. (2009) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1052 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Hawthorne, G., Korn, S., & Richardson, J. R. J. (2013) · Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12004 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Stepped care for depression in primary care: what should be offered and how?
van Straten, A., Seekles, W., Veer-Tazelaar, N. V. ’., Beekman, A. T. F., & Cuijpers, P. J. (2010) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03691.x · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Effect of Incentives and Mailing Features on Online Health Program Enrollment
Alexander, G. L., Divine, G. W., Couper, M. P., McClure, J. B., Stopponi, M. A., Fortman, K. K., Tolsma, D. D., Strecher, V. J., & Johnson, C. C. (2008) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.01.028 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
The role of readiness to change in response to treatment of adolescent depression.
Lewis, C. C., Simons, A. D., Silva, S. G., Rohde, P., Small, D. M., Murakami, J. L., High, R., & March, J. S. (2009) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0014154 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
The identification of young people's emotional distress: a study in primary care
Haller, D. M., Sanci, L. A., Sawyer, S. M., & Patton, G. C. (2009) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp09x419510 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Self-citationHickie, I. B., & McGorry, P. D. (2007) · Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01150.x · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Hickie, I. B., Fogarty, A. S., Davenport, T. A., Luscombe, G. M., & Burns, J. M. (2007) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01337.x · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Improving Treatment Seeking Among Adolescents with Depression: Understanding Readiness for Treatment
Tanielian, T., Jaycox, L. H., Paddock, S. M., Chandra, A., Meredith, L. S., & Burnam, M. A. (2009) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.005 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Als, L. C., Nadel, S., Cooper, M., Vickers, B., & Garralda, M. E. (2015) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009581 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Detecting emotional disorder in young people in primary care
Sanci, L., Lewis, D., & Patton, G. (2010) · Current Opinion in Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/yco.0b013e32833aac38 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Self-citationRecruitment to Online Therapies for Depression: Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Jones, R. B., Goldsmith, L., Hewson, P., & Williams, C. J. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2367 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Kauer, S., Buhagiar, K., & Sanci, L. (2017) · Advances in Mental Health · doi:10.1080/18387357.2016.1237856 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Self-citation[Expectations and satisfaction in mental health center users].
Retolaza, A., & Grandes, G. (2003) · PubMed · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Blake, V., Buhagiar, K., Kauer, S. D., Sanci, L. A., Nicholas, M., & Grey, J. (2016) · Journal of Applied Youth Studies · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- [4]King RK, Bickman L, Shochet I, et al Use of the internet for provision of better counselling and psychotherapy services to young people, their families and carers. Psychother Aust 2010; 17: 66– 74.
- [36]Wilson CJ, Rickwood DJ, Ciarrochi J, et al Adolescent barriers to seeking professional psychological help for personal-emotional and suicidal problems In: 9th annual conference for suicide prevention Australia 2002.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Young People’s Online Help-Seeking and Mental Health Difficulties: Systematic Narrative Review
Pretorius, C., Chambers, D., & Coyle, D. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/13873 · Cited by 506 · see citing works
Adams, C., Gringart, E., & Strobel, N. (2022) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/s13643-022-02034-y · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Le, L. K.-D., Sanci, L., Chatterton, M. L., Kauer, S., Buhagiar, K., & Mihalopoulos, C. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/13065 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citationSanci, L., Kauer, S., Thuraisingam, S., Davidson, S., Duncan, A.-M., Chondros, P., Mihalopoulos, C., & Buhagiar, K. (2019) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/13189 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Kauer, S. D., Buhagiar, K., Blake, V., Cotton, S., & Sanci, L.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- ReachOut Australia, Sydney, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Kauer, Sylvia D
- Venue
- BMJ Open
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2017-07
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- e015303
- ISSN
- 2044-6055 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5541492
- OpenAlex
- W2735622089
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 2.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- BMJ Open (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Keywords
- youth mental health, help-seeking, young adults, mental health literacy, help-seeking barriers, help-seeking intentions, service utilization, intervention feasibility, acceptability
- MeSH terms
- Help-Seeking Behavior, Adolescent, Adult, Australia, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Pilot Projects, Surveys and Questionnaires, Regression Analysis, Software, Internet, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
