Insights Into Needs and Preferences for Mental Health Support on Social Media and Through Mobile Apps Among Black Male University Students: Exploratory Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background Black college-aged men are less likely than their peers to use formal, therapeutic in-person services for mental health concerns. As the use of mobile technologies and social media platforms is steadily increasing, it is important to conduct work that examines the future utility of digital tools and technologies to improve access to and uptake of mental health services for Black men and Black men in college. Objective The aim of this study was to identify and understand college-attending Black men’s needs and preferences for using digital health technologies and social media for stress and mental health symptom management. Methods Interviews were conducted with Black male students (N=11) from 2 racially diverse universities in the Midwestern United States. Participants were asked questions related to their current mental health needs and interest in using social media platforms and mobile-based apps for their mental health concerns. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results Four themes emerged from the data: current stress relief strategies, technology-based support needs and preferences (subthemes: mobile-based support and social media–based support), resource information dissemination considerations (subthemes: information-learning expectations and preferences and information-sharing preferences and behaviors), and technology-based mental health support design considerations (subtheme: relatability and representation). Participants were interested in using social media and digital technologies for their mental health concerns and needs, for example, phone notifications and visual-based mental health advertisements that promote awareness. Relatability in the context of representation was emphasized as a key factor for participants interested in using digital mental health tools. Examples of methods for increasing relatability included having tools disseminated by minority-serving organizations and including components explicitly portraying Black men engaging in mental health support strategies. The men also discussed wanting to receive recommendations for stress relief that have been proven successful, particularly for Black men. Conclusions The findings from this study provide insights into design and dissemination considerations for future work geared toward developing mental health messaging and digital interventions for young Black men.