Factors Associated with Intention to Use Digital Mental Health Interventions Among AANHPI Emerging Adults in the United States: Application of the Seeking Mental Health Care Model.
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander emerging adults significantly underutilize traditional face-to-face mental health services despite experiencing prevalence of mental illness comparable to the general population. Digital mental health interventions offer a promising avenue for improving access for this "digitally native" population. This study utilizes the Seeking Mental Health Care model to examine the individual-level psychological and demographic factors associated with the intention to use digital mental health interventions among a diverse sample of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander emerging adults. Using multivariable logistic regression, key predictors included perceived need for support and mental health literacy, while controlling for symptom severity (anxiety and depression) and sociodemographic variables. A higher perceived public stigma was found to be associated with a greater likelihood of intending to use digital mental health interventions. Findings reveal that individual factors, such as higher perceived need and mental health literacy, are significantly associated with a greater intention to use digital mental health interventions, supporting the utility of using the Seeking Mental Health Care model to better understand the adoption of digital interventions in this underserved population, while suggesting other points of intervention such as psychoeducation for greater mental health literacy that could lead to greater treatment engagement.