Context

The Mix is the United Kingdom’s leading digital mental health support service for young people aged <25 years. The Mix offers free mental health support, including a helpline, phone and webchat counseling, crisis support, discussion boards, and moderated live group chats. These synchronous group chats are freely available for young people aged 13 to 25 years.

Challenge

Peer support groups or web-based chats for young people offer anonymous peer support in judgment-free spaces, where users may share their thoughts and feelings with others who may have experienced similar situations. User engagement is crucial for effective web-based peer support; however, levels of engagement vary. While moderation of peer support groups can have a positive impact on the engagement of young people, effective moderation can be challenging to implement.

Approach

Qualitative research Designed and carried out qualitative research, including interviews and open-ended questionnaires with service-users and moderators, to gather in-depth insights into user experiences.

Behavioural frameworks Utilised the Theoretical Domains Framework to design data collection measures and structure data analysis.

Behaviour design Identified key behaviour change techniques to enhance engagement, tailored to meet the needs of The Mix's service users.

Outcome

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the BCW approach and the use of the TDF and COM-B model to understand the influences on behaviour in a systematic manner, especially for mental health and well-being interventions.

The findings can be applied to design structured interventions to change behaviours related to the engagement with, and moderation of, web-based peer support groups and, in turn, improve mental health outcomes for young people.