The rural young adults between 18 and 25 years are still among the most underserved groups in the systems of global mental health with compounded stigma, provider shortages, geographic isolation, and limited digital infrastructure. The literature review will focus on the importance of telehealth as a tool of increasing access to mental health among this population based on five empirical studies published between the years 2020 and 2024. The study was a synthesis of evidence on qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, and conceptual research studies carried out in the United States, Australia, and other global locations using a structured review methodology.
The evidence points to the constant moderate to high effectiveness of telehealth interventions in the form of video consultations, smartphone-based applications, computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT), and telepsychiatry in terms of minimizing the level of depressive symptoms and improving access to services among rural young adults. Telehealth was discovered to minimize transportation obstacles, enhance adherence to appointments as well as greater parental involvement where applicable. Nevertheless, as the evidence also indicates, there are essential constraints as telehealth itself is not enough when dealing with people with complex neurodevelopmental models. The lack of effective digital connectivity weakens the coverage of services, and the relationship aspects of therapy are more problematic to build in remote modalities. Irrespective of the modality of delivery, stigma, lack of mental health literacy, and confidentiality issues continue to be key impediments to help-seeking among this group of people.
It is concluded that telehealth has a high potential as a supplementary approach in the framework of a blended care model of rural young adults but should be supported by structural investments in digital infrastructure, workforce training, and anti-stigmatization efforts.
Christy Ugo Peters· World Journal of Advanced Re...· 0 citations
Mental health challenges among young adults is an increasing public health problem at the global level. Young adults living in rural settings are a group at a higher risk as there are multiple barriers to seeking psychological services. There is a deficiency in the number of professionals available, a shortage of proper healthcare infrastructure, geographic barriers, and the socio-cultural stigma that is present among rural youth. The combination of these factors has led to a significant rural-urban difference in mental healthcare accessibility and in the level of unmet mental health needs, resulting in a long-term negative outcome.
Tele-health service is believed to fill the service gap as it enables remote provision of psychological counselling, psychiatric consultations, and other forms of digital therapeutic intervention. The current conceptual review addresses issues pertaining to why Tele-health is expected to be a potential solution to the existing gap in delivering mental health service to the rural young adult. It relies on two theoretical models- Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) and Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 2003)- that try to predict the adoption and usage of these digital mental health applications by rural dwellers.
In this review, three major concepts were investigated; Mental health among young adults, access to rural health care, and Tele-health service provision. Potential benefits of Tele-health services were assessed based on factors such as improved access, cost reduction, enhancement in privacy, and high adoption among young adults. Conversely, the barriers such as the digital divide, data privacy concerns and limitations of virtual face-to-face interaction in therapeutic provision are discussed. The review concludes that tele-health may significantly bridge mental health disparity for the rural young adult population; however, the success of these services depends on substantial investment in digital infrastructures, creation of favorable policy environments and ongoing interdisciplinary research on accessibility and efficacy.
Christy Ugo Peters· World Journal of Advanced Re...· 0 citations
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