Designing for mental health in higher education: a collaborative approach to digital interventions

Mental health concerns significantly impact one-third of university students, with digital tools increasingly recognised as potential support for prevention and treatment. However, few studies adequately address the transition from research to practical application in mental health-related interventions, integrating multidisciplinary design methodologies and understanding students' sociocultural contexts within real-world healthcare environments. Here we present the outcomes of a process of co-design and validation of a digital mental health intervention in a university setting. We draw on findings from (1) design cycles and (2) validation workshops of a digital intervention to identify preferences of engagement and ethical responsibility for real-world applicability. Our findings emphasise the importance of involving end-users and clinicians throughout the process to improve existing support systems for students' well-being, challenge stigma, and promote context-sensitive mental health care in academia. This approach highlights the importance of designing digital mental health interventions that are both ethical and inclusive, thereby enhancing individual, community, and institutional resilience. We build on prior research by proposing design opportunities to enhance receptivity to digital interventions in university settings, contributing to responsible innovation in this field.

心理健康问题已对三分之一的大学生造成显著困扰，数字工具作为心理健康预防与治疗的潜在支持手段，亦日益得到学界认可。然而，鲜有研究能够充分兼顾心理健康相关干预从研究到实际应用的转化，同时整合多学科设计方法论，并在真实医疗场景中充分考量学生的社会文化背景。本研究呈现了高校场景下数字化心理健康干预工具的协同设计与验证流程的研究成果。本研究依托两项核心研究的结果展开分析：一是数字化干预工具的多轮设计迭代流程，二是其验证研讨会，旨在明确真实场景落地所需的用户参与偏好与伦理责任考量。研究结果强调，在整个流程中纳入终端用户与临床医师的参与，对优化现有大学生心理健康支持体系、消解心理健康污名认知，并推动学术场景下贴合情境的心理健康服务落地均具有重要意义。该研究路径凸显了兼顾伦理合规与包容性的数字化心理健康干预工具设计的重要性，进而可提升个体、社群与高校机构的心理韧性。本研究在已有研究基础上，提出了可提升高校场景下数字化干预工具接受度的设计方向，为该领域的负责任创新贡献了研究参考。