Project Staff:
L. Kris Gowen: Principal Investigator.
Description:
eHealth Literacy - eHealth Literacy in Transition-Aged Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions
Every day, more people go online for medical advice than actually visit health care professionals. This study will investigate how young adults with mental health conditions in particular use the internet to access information about their diagnosis, medications, and treatment options. It will also develop and pilot a training designed to improve the eHealth literacy of transition-aged youth with serious mental health conditions. More specifically, this study aims to answer the following research questions: 1. How do transition-aged youth with serious mental health conditions use the internet for information and support regarding their mental health? 2. When asked questions about mental health, do transition-aged youth with serious mental health conditions find accurate answers online? 3. How do transition-aged youth with serious mental health conditions evaluate web sites? 4. Can we create a half-day training to improve eHealth literacy in transition-aged youth with serious mental health conditions?
Publications:
Online Mental Health Information Seeking in Young Adults with Mental Health Challenges
Evaluating Whether or Not to Trust Mental Health Information on the Internet
What Young Adults with Mental Health Conditions Search for Online
Facts About Young Adults, Mental Health, & Online Information Seeking
Presentations:
How the Internet Supports the Lives of Young Adults with Mental Health Challenges. Presented at Alternatives Conference in Portland, OR, October 2012.
Youth Online: A Positive Approach to Smart Use. Presented at the Disability Fair, Portland, OR, March 2011.
How Young Adults Use the Internet to Access Mental Health Information and Support. Webinar presented online July 27th, 2010, to a national audience.
Products:
Tutorial for How to Search Effectively for Quality Mental Health Information Online
The eHealth project has created an online tutorial designed to help young adults and their caregivers search effectively for reliable mental health information on the internet. Module 1 offers tips on searching, while Module 2 provides a rubric and worksheet for assessing the quality of the information found.