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

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Abstract

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.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Emily G. Lattie & David C. Mohr

  2. University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Jennifer L. Duffecy & Kathleen Kashima

Authors
  1. Emily G. Lattie
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  2. Jennifer L. Duffecy
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  3. David C. Mohr
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  4. Kathleen Kashima
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emily G. Lattie.

Ethics declarations

This study was approved by the University of Illinois at Chicago Institutional Review Board.

Disclosures

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding Source

ThinkFeelDo was developed with support from research grant R01 MH095753 from the United States National Institute of Mental Health to David C. Mohr, Ph.D.

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Lattie, E.G., Duffecy, J.L., Mohr, D.C. et al. Development and Evaluation of an Online Mental Health Program for Medical Students. Acad Psychiatry 41, 642–645 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-017-0726-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-017-0726-0

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