A Narrative-Gamified Mental Health App (Kuamsha) for Adolescents in Uganda: Mixed Methods Feasibility and Acceptability Study

作者：Julia R Pozuelo, Christine Nabulumba, Doreen Sikoti, Meghan Davis, Joy Louise Gumikiriza‐Onoria, Eugene Kinyanda, Bianca Moffett, Alastair van Heerden, Heather O’Mahen, Michelle G. Craske, Munshi Sulaiman, Alan Stein · 发表于：JMIR Serious Games · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.2196/59381 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Digital Mental Health Interventions、Mobile Health and mHealth Applications、Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

BACKGROUND: Many adolescents in Uganda are affected by common mental disorders, but only a few affordable treatment options are available. Digital mental health interventions offer promising opportunities to reduce these large treatment gaps, but interventions specifically tailored for Ugandan adolescents are limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the Kuamsha program, an intervention delivered through a gamified app with low-intensity telephonic guidance, as a way to promote mental health among adolescents from the general population in Uganda. METHODS: A 3-month pre-post single-arm trial was conducted with adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years living in Wakiso District, Central Uganda. The intervention was coproduced with adolescents from the study site to ensure that it was culturally acceptable. The feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were evaluated using an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach. Feasibility was assessed by collecting data on trial retention rates and treatment adherence rates. Acceptability was assessed through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews with participants following the conclusion of the intervention period. As a secondary objective, we explored the changes in participants' mental health before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 31 adolescents were recruited for the study. Results from the study showed high levels of feasibility and acceptability. Trial reten...