TELE-MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS FOR YOUNG ADULTS IN RURAL AREAS: AN EMPIRICAL REVIEW

The mental health issues of young adults in rural settings are a long-standing and increasingly important societal health problem, and they are worsened by the high rates of differences in professional care access. The focus of this review was the nature, implementation and effectiveness of tele-mental health intervention among young adults living in rural and remote communities. Structured search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, with Boolean search terms being tele-mental health, digital interventions, rural populations, young adults. Research papers were included when the research involved patients between the ages of 18 and 30, when the studies discussed rural or remote locations and when they provided findings on the impacts of mental health interventions conducted through technology. Six peer-reviewed articles that fit the inclusion criteria were synthesized by descriptive narrative analysis. Results showed that tele-mental health interventions, such as videoconferencing, mobile apps, online counselling, and care navigation models, showed significant effectiveness in decreasing depression, anxiety, and maladaptive coping behaviors. Poor internet connectivity, stigma, privacy issues, and limited digital literacy were also found to be barriers throughout the studies. Facilitators were anonymity, peer-driven support and trust as created by navigators. The review has concluded that tele-mental health services have a significant potential in closing mental health service gaps in rural communities, though specific infrastructure investment and culturally sensitive design are needed to enable equal results.