Increasing Access to Mental Health Services: Videogame Players’ Perspectives

Emma L. van der Schyff (), Rowena Forsyth, Krestina L. Amon, Brad Ridout and Andrew J. Campbell
Additional contact information
Emma L. van der Schyff: Cyberpsychology Research Group, Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health Theme, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Rowena Forsyth: Cyberpsychology Research Group, Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health Theme, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Krestina L. Amon: Cyberpsychology Research Group, Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health Theme, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Brad Ridout: Cyberpsychology Research Group, Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health Theme, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Andrew J. Campbell: Cyberpsychology Research Group, Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health Theme, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Young men’s mental health is at the forefront of global public health concerns. Young males, who have a high incidence of mental health disorders, are a population that accesses services at lower rates than females and makes up the majority of videogame players. By considering the unique perspectives of digitally connected individuals on mental health service delivery, interventions may be designed to address their needs with a higher likelihood of success. This study investigated international male videogamers’ perspectives on how their access to mental health services could be improved via an open-ended survey question. From a total of 2515 completed surveys, 761 responded to the qualitative question. Of these, the 71 responses that discussed access to and provision of mental healthcare services are reported in this article. Results suggest that digital mental health services were a promising way to reach this group. Anonymity and confidentiality were found to be important factors when considering online mental health services. Male videogame players identified a preference for both online and in-person services that are delivered synchronously, one-on-one with an expert practitioner, and readily available in settings that individuals find comfortable.

Keywords: videogaming; mental health; mental health services; gaming; help-seeking behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/4772/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/4772/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:4772-:d:1091290

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().