TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Design of a Mindfulness Virtual Community: A focus-group analysis
JO  - Health informatics journal
A1  - El Morr, Christo
A1  - Maule, Catherine
A1  - Ashfaq, Iqra
A1  - Ritvo, Paul
A1  - Ahmad, Farah
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Mental illnesses are on the rise on campuses worldwide. There is a need for a scalable and economically sound innovation to address these mental health challenges. The aim of this study was to explore university students' needs and concerns in relation to an online mental health virtual community. Eight focus groups (<i>N</i> = 72, 55.6% female) were conducted with university students aged 18-47 (mean = 23.38, <i>SD</i> = 5.82) years. Participants were asked about their views in relation to online mental health platform. Three major themes and subthemes emerged: (1) <i>perceived concerns</i>: potential loss of personal encounter and relationships, fear of cyber bullying, engagement challenge, and privacy and distraction; (2) <i>perceived advantages</i>: anonymity and privacy, convenience and flexibility, filling a gap, and togetherness; and (3) <i>desired features</i>: user-centered design, practical trustworthy support, and online moderation. The analysis informed design features for a mindfulness virtual community.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1460-4582
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1460458219884840
ID  - ref1
ER  -