abstract: 'Background: The incidence of mental health problems in children and

  adolescents in the United Kingdom has significantly increased in recent

  years, and more people are in contact with mental health services in

  Greater Manchester than in other parts of the country. Children and

  young people spend most of their time at school and with teachers.

  Therefore, schools and other educational settings may be ideal

  environments in which to identify those experiencing or those at the

  risk of developing psychological symptoms and provide timely support for

  children most at risk of mental health or related problems.

  Objective: This study aims to test the feasibility of embedding a

  low-cost, scalable, and innovative digital mental health intervention in

  schools in the Greater Manchester area.

  Methods: Two components of a 6-week digital intervention were

  implemented in a primary school in Greater Manchester: Lexplore, a

  reading assessment using eye-tracking technology to assess reading

  ability and detect early atypicality, and Lincus, a digital support and

  well-being monitoring platform.

  Results: Of the 115 children approached, 34 (29.6\%) consented and took

  part; of these 34 children, all 34 (100\%) completed the baseline

  Lexplore assessment, and 30 (88\%) completed the follow-up. In addition,

  most children were classified by Lincus as regular (>= 1 per week)

  survey users. Overall, the teaching staff and children found both

  components of the digital intervention engaging, usable, feasible, and

  acceptable. Despite the widespread enthusiasm and recognition of the

  potential added value from staff, we met significant implementation

  barriers.

  Conclusions: This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of a

  digital mental health intervention for schoolchildren. Further work is

  needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital intervention and to

  understand whether the assessment of reading atypicality using Lexplore

  can identify those who require additional help and whether they can also

  be supported by Lincus. This study provides high-quality pilot data and

  highlights the potential benefits of implementing digital assessment and

  mental health support tools in a primary school setting.'
affiliation: 'Davies, SM (Corresponding Author), Univ Manchester, Fac Biol Med \&
  Hlth, Ctr Womens Mental Hlth, Sch Hlth Sci,GM Digital Res Unit,Div Psychol \& Me,
  Jean McFarlane Bldg,Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs, England.

  Davies, Sian M.; Gutridge, Kerry; Bernard, Zara; Abel, Kathryn M., Univ Manchester,
  Fac Biol Med \& Hlth, Ctr Womens Mental Hlth, Sch Hlth Sci,GM Digital Res Unit,Div
  Psychol \& Me, Jean McFarlane Bldg,Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs, England.

  Davies, Sian M.; Jardine, Jenni; Gutridge, Kerry; Bernard, Zara; Abel, Kathryn M.;
  Whelan, Pauline, Greater Manchester Mental Hlth NHS Fdn Trust, Manchester Acad Hlth
  Sci Ctr, Manchester, Lancs, England.

  Park, Stephen, Lexplore Ltd, Marple, England.

  Whelan, Pauline, Univ Manchester, Ctr Hlth Informat, Div Informat Imaging \& Data
  Sci, GMDigital Res Unit, Manchester, Lancs, England.'
article-number: e30668
author: Davies, Sian M. and Jardine, Jenni and Gutridge, Kerry and Bernard, Zara and
  Park, Stephen and Dawson, Tom and Abel, Kathryn M. and Whelan, Pauline
author-email: sian.davies-5@manchester.ac.uk
author_list:
- family: Davies
  given: Sian M.
- family: Jardine
  given: Jenni
- family: Gutridge
  given: Kerry
- family: Bernard
  given: Zara
- family: Park
  given: Stephen
- family: Dawson
  given: Tom
- family: Abel
  given: Kathryn M.
- family: Whelan
  given: Pauline
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.2196/30668
eissn: 2561-326X
files: []
journal: JMIR FORMATIVE RESEARCH
keywords: 'digital mental health; acceptability; feasibility; child and adolescent

  mental health and well-being; school-based mental health care;

  prevention; digital assessment and monitoring; reading screening or

  ability'
keywords-plus: YOUNG-PEOPLE; INTERVENTIONS; INCOME
language: English
month: DEC
number: '12'
number-of-cited-references: '40'
orcid-numbers: 'Gutridge, Kerry/0000-0001-9705-9102

  Dawson, Tom/0000-0002-2215-249X

  Whelan, Pauline/0000-0001-8689-3919

  Davies, Sian/0000-0001-5662-7038

  Abel, Kathryn M/0000-0003-3538-8896'
papis_id: 8862ddafa59a013b24080ec591c6b467
ref: Davies2021preventivedigital
times-cited: '1'
title: 'Preventive Digital Mental Health for Children in Primary Schools: Acceptability
  and Feasibility Study'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000853675400031
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '5'
volume: '5'
web-of-science-categories: Health Care Sciences \& Services; Medical Informatics
year: '2021'