Faculty Mentor: Marissa Diener (Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah)

There is an increasing prevalence of mental health issues among college students such that over 60% of college students have a mental health problem (Abrams, 2022). This highlights the need for multiple types of mental health programs to exist on college campuses. For well-being programs to function well, it is important to study participant feedback on the programs in order to understand what increases or decreases their likelihood of engaging with mental health programming. This research paper examines the accessibility and feasibility of the WeBeWell program for its college student participants at the University of Utah.

WeBeWell is a positive psychology intervention (PPI) whose aim is to enhance the mental health and well-being of its participants. The program spans six weeks and uses virtual support groups as well as other forms of web technology in order to help its participants develop positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors through learning about gratitude, escaping negative thinking traps, strengths, mindfulness, goal-setting, and other well-being concepts. Data from 453 participants was collected at the end of the program. Participants were recruited for the program through snowball sampling on campus, social media recruitment, and in-class visits. Participants were compensated $80 for their involvement. The study did not have a control group.

This study focuses on analyzing the qualitative data collected from participants through post- test surveys from 2021-2023 in order to explore their experiences with the program — what motivated them to stay in it, what they found to be beneficial, what made it easy or challenging to complete, and feedback for the group facilitators. This was done through analyzing open-ended questions in the post-test survey which sought to highlight various factors that influenced students’ engagement with the program such as program facilitators, app usability, and the structure of the sessions. The study’s hypothesis states that the WeBeWell program is accessible and feasible for a diverse range of college students studying at the University of Utah. The research will illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of PPIs in the context of higher education so that similar programs can be improved in future iterations. By focusing on feedback from the participants, this study will also reveal whether there is value in continuing investment into mental health programs like WeBeWell that are funded by universities.

Bibliography

Abrams, Z. (2022, October 1). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach.

American Psychological Association. Retrieved September 3, 2024,from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care.