Teen Perspectives on Integrating Digital Mental Health Programs for Teens Into Public Libraries (“I Was Always at the Library”): Qualitative Interview Study

Summary & key facts

Researchers interviewed 16 teens who frequently used public libraries to learn how they experience anxiety and what digital tools might help them. Teens said they felt loss of control, unpredictability, and anger from anxiety and used tools like breathing exercises, journaling, and mood tracking. They viewed libraries as safe places and were interested in getting digital mental health programs there, if the tools were private, easy to use, and personalized.

Key facts:

• The study interviewed 16 teens aged 12–18 (mean 15.2 years, SD 2.0) who were frequent users of their local public library.
• Of the 16 teens, 9 (56%) identified as female, 5 (31%) as male, and 2 (12%) as nonbinary.
• Most participants (11/16, 69%) identified as White or Black/African American; the other 5 (31%) identified as Hispanic/Latino, Chinese American, or multiracial.
• Teens reported feeling uncontrollability, unpredictability, and anger as parts of their anxiety experience.
• Common strategies teens said they used to manage anxiety included guided breathing, distress tolerance skills, social connection, progressive muscle relaxation, journaling, and mood tracking.
• Teens said mood tracking is more useful when paired with daily activities so patterns can be seen, and that the right strategy depends on the context and how severe the anxiety is.
• Teens described public libraries as central and safe places where they can access resources and trusted adults.
• Teens were interested in receiving digital mental health (DMH) programs through libraries and suggested features such as personalization for different identities, gamification, simple navigation, and strong privacy protections.
• The study collected qualitative data through individual semistructured interviews and used thematic analysis to identify themes from the teens' responses.
• Because the study is based on a small group of 16 frequent library users, the findings reflect those teens’ views and may not apply to all teens.

Abstract

Teens who frequently used their local public library expressed interest in receiving digital tools via libraries to help them manage anxiety. Their recommendations will help inform future research on the adaptation and implementation of DMH programs for teens in public libraries.

Topics

Child Development and Digital Technology Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Categories

Applied Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Computer science Library science Medical education Medicine Mental health Preprint Psychiatry Psychology Qualitative research Social science Sociology World Wide Web