# Harnessing Mobile Technology to Reduce Mental Health Disorders in College Populations

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $93,051

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The prevalence of mental health problems among college populations has risen steadily in recent decades,
with one-third of college students struggling with anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder. Yet, only 20-40%
of college students with mental disorders receive treatment. Inadequacies in mental health care delivery result
in prolonged illness, disease progression, poorer prognosis, and greater likelihood of relapse, highlighting the
need for a new approach for detecting mental health problems and engaging college students in services. We
have developed a transdiagnostic, low-cost mobile health targeted prevention and intervention platform that
uses population-level screening for engaging college students in tailored services that address common mental
health problems. This care delivery system represents an ideal model for service delivery given its use of our
promising, evidence-based mobile programs, a transdiagnostic approach that addresses comorbid mental
health issues, and personalized screening and intervention to increase service uptake, enhance engagement,
and improve outcomes. Further, our service delivery model harnesses the expertise of our team of leaders in
behavioral science, college student mental health, technology, and health economics, and bridges our team’s
work over the past 25 years in successfully implementing a population-based screening program in over 160
colleges and demonstrating the effectiveness of Internet-based programs for targeted prevention and
intervention for anxiety, depression, and eating disorders in over 40 colleges. We propose to test the impact of
this mobile mental health platform for service delivery in a large-scale trial across 20 colleges. Students who
screen positive or at high-risk for clinical anxiety, depression, or eating disorders (excluding anorexia nervosa,
for which more intensive medical monitoring is warranted), which account for a substantial proportion of the
mental health burden on college campuses, and who are not currently engaged in mental health services
(N=7,884; of 146,000 initially screened) will be randomly assigned to: 1) intervention via the mobile mental
health platform; or 2) referral to usual care (i.e., campus health or counseling center). We will test whether the
mobile mental health platform, compared to usual care, is associated with improved uptake (i.e., individuals
beginning treatment) (Aim 1), reduced clinical cases and disorder-specific symptoms (Aims 2a, 2b), and
improved quality of life and functioning (Aim 2c). We will also test putative targets/mechanisms, other
mediators, predictors, and moderators of improved mental health outcomes (Aim 3) as well as stakeholder-
relevant outcomes, including cost-effectiveness and academic performance (Aim 4). Our comprehensive
mental health care platform can yield clinical benefit to students, appeal to university stakeholders, minimize
barriers to implementation sustainability on campuses, and ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10360967
- **Project number:** 3R01MH115128-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel Eisenberg
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $93,051
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-23 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10360967

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10360967, Harnessing Mobile Technology to Reduce Mental Health Disorders in College Populations (3R01MH115128-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10360967. Licensed CC0.

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