Digital Mental Health Promotion Services for Youth: A Qualitative Study of Help-Seeking Through Mindhelper.dk

Abstract

Abstract Background Young people increasingly experience mental health challenges and often turn to the internet for support. Self-guided digital mental health promotion services have become widely used resources for youth seeking help and guidance. These platforms offer accessible, anonymous support, yet little is known about the concerns young people articulate when engaging with them. Objective This study aims to examine inquiries submitted to the digital letter box of Mindhelper.dk, Denmark’s most widely used digital mental health promotion service. Using qualitative analysis, the study aims to identify recurring themes in young people’s mental health concerns, explore gender differences in engagement, and generate insights to inform the development of more relevant and targeted digital self-help interventions. Methods Using an inductive thematic approach informed by a constructivist-grounded theory coding framework, this study analyzes 2523 inquiries submitted to the Mindhelper digital letter box between March 2016 and August 2023. The dataset provides unsolicited first-person accounts from young people in moments of emotional vulnerability, offering insights into how mental health concerns are articulated in naturalistic settings. Results The analysis identifies 17 recurring themes reflecting the mental health challenges young people seek help for. These were grouped into 3 overarching analytical categories: Social Relationships and Social Contexts, Emotional Life, and Body and Illness, with the first 2 dominating the material. Prominent themes included Sociality, Love Life, Unease, Self-doubt and Insecurity, and Seeking Support. Across genders, inquiries frequently focused on social relationships, particularly Sociality and Love Life. However, girls were markedly overrepresented among users, while only minor gender differences were observed in the distribution of themes. Conclusions The findings suggest that young people’s mental health concerns are closely tied to everyday developmental and relational challenges rather than severe psychopathology alone. Digital letter box services may capture early expressions of distress that might not otherwise reach formal support systems. This highlights the preventive potential of such services and the value of using self-initiated digital data to inform the development of relevant digital mental health support and better understand how young people articulate and act on emerging mental health concerns.