Factors associated with digital mental health service use among Palestinian citizens of Israel: an exploratory study

Background Digital mental health services are increasingly promoted as mechanisms for expanding access to care. However, engagement remains uneven across socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority populations. Aims The present study provided an exploratory examination of digital mental health service use and associated factors among Palestinian citizens of Israel, a structurally marginalized minority group. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2025 among 564 Palestinian adults. Measures included attitudes toward digital mental health services, barriers to traditional mental health service use, psychological distress, somatization, subjective experience of a mental health problem, and sociodemographic characteristics. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine factors associated with digital mental health service use. Results Digital mental health service use was reported by 16.7% of participants. In the multivariable model, higher education, subjective experience of a mental health problem, and more positive attitudes toward digital mental health services were significantly associated with greater odds of such use. Conclusions The findings suggest that digital mental health service use is associated with sociodemographic background, particularly education, subjective experience of mental health problems, and attitudes toward digital mental health services, beyond clinical symptoms and barriers to traditional mental health services. Further research is needed to better understand these associations and patterns of use across specific modalities of digital mental health.