ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates users’ experiences of the Vitalk mental health app (treatment group) compared to the users of a generic mental health information website (control group). In this double-blinded study, 1,493 participants were divided into a treatment group using the Vitalk app and a control group using a generic mental health information website. Of these, 1,138 attended a post-study workshop at the end of the two-month trial period, where they took part in focus group discussions discussing their experiences of using Vitalk or the mental health website. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data and arrange responses into major and minor themes. Participants displayed extensive knowledge of common mental health challenges they faced as health workers and discussed factors affecting the usability of their respective mental health resources. Vitalk users enjoyed the interactive format and benefited from the psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy-led techniques and exercises. However, digital illiteracy was a significant hindrance among users and concerns regarding the exorbitant costs of Internet data bundles in Malawi, which would likely influence the continued use of Vitalk among users (stickiness).
