Using Generative AI to Co-Design Digital Mental Health Interventions With Adolescents in Rural South Africa: Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Participatory Workshops.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer a scalable approach to address adolescent depression and anxiety. User-centered coproduction can optimize acceptability and engagement, but it is often resource-intensive. Advances in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) create new opportunities for involving adolescents in co-design, yet research on its feasibility and acceptability, particularly in low-resource settings, remains underexplored.

Objective

This study aimed to explore adolescents' experiences and perspectives of using GenAI to co-design stories, images, and music for the Kuamsha app (Sea Monster), a gamified DMHI that teaches behavioral activation through interactive narratives and peer support.

Methods

Overall, 2 participatory workshops

SUBMITTER: Dallison S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12680127 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature