Development and Evaluation of an Online Mental Health Program for Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: Medical school presents a time of psychological distress for many students, who are less likely than the general population to seek mental health treatment due to multiple treatment barriers. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) programs may be an acceptable option for medical students. This study aims to assess acceptability and usability of ThinkFeelDo, an iCBT program, and to examine the impact of the program on perceived stress, quality of life, and the development of cognitive and behavioral coping skills. METHOD: Fourteen medical students (M age = 25.4 years, 50% female) participated in the 6-week ThinkFeelDo program and completed baseline and end of treatment assessments. RESULTS: ThinkFeelDo was used (login M = 11.9, SD = 9.8) and was rated as somewhat useful. Participants requested further refinement of lessons to better fit the typical narrative of a medical student and endorsed interest in the program being offered at the beginning of medical school. At end of program, participants increased the frequency with which they used cognitive and behavioral coping skills, t(10) = -3.400, p = .007. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that medical students are willing to utilize online mental health programs and may receive benefit. However, the sample was small, self-selected, and without a comparison group. Feedback collected through this study provides insight on how to effectively integrate iCBT programs into the medical school experience.

An open trial of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for first year medical students.

OBJECTIVE: Medical students experience high rates of depression, and often face barriers to receiving traditional mental health services. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) programs offer a more accessible method of receiving care. Here, we conducted an open trial of an iCBT program for medical students and characterize program usage, program users, and self-reported psychosocial symptoms and coping skills. METHODS: All incoming first year medical students at a large state-run university were invited to use an iCBT program which focused on mood management and mood symptom prevention. Participants received access to the 16-week program and completed measures of perceived stress, quality of life, and the development of cognitive and behavioral coping skills at baseline and end of program. RESULTS: Of the 194 students in the class, 53 (27.32%) signed up to use the program. While the program attracted a representative portion of underrepresented minority students, program engagement among males was particularly low. Repeated use of the program was low. Self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety were low at baseline, and continued to be low at end of program. Slight increases were observed from baseline to end of program in the self-reported use of cognitive coping skills. CONCLUSIONS: Digital mental health tools appear to be of interest to first year medical students, but need to be better designed to support continued program use and to attract specific subgroups of students who may face additional barriers to seeking mental health services.