Urban youth in South Africa face significant mental health challenges due to socio-economic pressures and limited access to traditional counseling services. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing user satisfaction (Likert scale) and qualitative interviews exploring experiences and perceived benefits. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics to evaluate acceptability and inferential statistics for effectiveness. Users reported a mean satisfaction score of 4 out of 5 with the app, indicating moderate acceptance; however, qualitative data suggested that while the app was effective in reducing anxiety levels (p < 0. 01), its impact on depression required further investigation. The new mental health counseling app showed promise for urban youth in South Africa, particularly in addressing anxiety symptoms within six months of use, but additional research is needed to understand broader effects and potential areas for improvement. Future studies should explore the long-term benefits and drawbacks of using such apps, with a focus on integrating them into existing mental health services. Further, implementation strategies for reaching underserved populations need to be developed. Treatment effect was estimated with logit (pᵢ) =₀+^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.
Mngqibisa et al. (Tue,) studied this question.