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Abstract
Mental health, behavioral, or developmental disorders (MBDDs) affect children and adolescents worldwide, which impair functioning across multiple domains and contributes to the larger global disability burden. Despite a high prevalence of MBDDs, the service utilization rates of psychotherapy among youth are alarmingly low, which is partly explained by a multitude of barriers (e.g., financial cost, transportation/distance, stigma, time commitment, buy-in, engagement). Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) utilize behavioral and psychological models paired with technological advances to address mental health and health needs. BITs may offer an important option for bridging the gap between the high need and low service utilization, by reducing some of the common barriers to treatment. Furthermore, given the nearly ubiquitous presence of technology in the lives of children and adolescents, BITs may be particularly attractive and engaging for this population in need. This dissertation presents three studies establishing the need, feasibility, and scalability of BITs for youth. Study I illustrates that youth worldwide are actively seeking mental health (depression/suicidality) information via the Internet. Study II reflects on lessons learned about the feasibility of implementing an online wellness platform in an after-school setting. Study III demonstrates feasibility and scalability of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) behavioral coaching chatbot in a pediatric medical setting. Collectively these three studies contributed to the development of nine considerations for researchers and those developing BITs for youth to incorporate into their work.
