Help me help myself: examining an electronic mental health self-monitoring system in college students

The high prevalence of mental illness in college students results in adverse consequences that have led to developing prevention programs, with the potential of self-monitoring (SM) to reduce symptomatology. SM as indicated in this study intends to help individuals set goals, increase self-regulation, and provide awareness of personal psychological difficulties along with available support networks. In two studies, an electronic monitoring system was first tested on a bi-weekly basis (SM-B; N = 100), then implemented on a weekly basis (SM-W; N = 186). Monitoring was shown to be feasible in the pilot and showed promising reductions in stress and anxiety in the SM-B condition. While there were reductions in symptoms across experimental and control groups, SM-W significantly reduced anxiety and stress compared with controls. These studies support that implementation of a basic electronic monitoring and feedback system could help protect against mental health degradation over the course of a student’s time in college. Important implications for prevention of psychological distress in college students are discussed.