Investigating the Persuasive Effects of Testimonials on the Acceptance of Digital Stress Management Trainings Among University Students and Underlying Mechanisms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: This experiment aims to investigate the influence of narrative information varying in the degree of perceived similarity and source credibility in supplemented testimonials on the acceptance of digital mental health services (digi-MHSs).Methods: In fall 2020, n=231 university students were randomly assigned to an active control group (aCG, n=55, “information only”) or one of three intervention groups (IGs) receiving information plus different testimonials being presented either by nonacademic staff (IG1, n=60), university students (IG2, n=58) or experts (IG3, n=58). We assessed mediation effects of similarity and credibility on acceptance in terms of attitudes and usage intentions.Results: Exposure to testimonials was associated with higher usage intentions (d=0.50) and more positive attitudes toward digi-MHSs (d=0.32) compared to mere information (aCG). Regarding source-related effects, one-way ANOVA showed group differences in intentions (ηp2=0.13) that were significantly higher after exposure to testimonials targeted at students than in the other groups after adjusting for baseline intentions (ηp2=0.24). Concerning underlying mechanisms, there were full mediation effects of similarity (IG1 versus IG2) on attitudes [95%CI (0.030, 0.441)] and intentions to use digi-MHSs [95%CI (0.100, 0.528)] and of credibility on attitudes [IG2 versus IG3; 95%CI (−0.217, −0.004)], all favoring students’ testimonials.Conclusion: Overall, this study indicates that the acceptance of digi-MHSs can be substantially increased by providing a simple, context-sensitive information intervention, including testimonials by university students. Since we identified mediating effects of credibility on cognitive attitudes and similarity on affect-driven intentions, a future trial could vary these features using narrative versus statistic information on digi-MHSs.

Mental distress and virtual mental health resource use amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a cross-sectional study in Canada

“… 43 , 44 Promising strategies for promoting virtual mental health resource uptake could include, for example, the provision of simple, context-sensitive information about intervention applicability and credibility, such as through offering testimonials from previous service users and experts, as was shown to be effective in a recent study on digital mental health services with college students. 45 More generally, our study findings underscore the role of mental health literacy in shaping virtual resource access and utilization, and, in doing so, emphasize that fostering mental health literacy should be a key component of approaches to promote and protect population mental health. 42 , 46 …”

Adapting a mobile anxiety intervention for a university community: Insights from a qualitative analysis

“…Their perceived trustworthiness of the intervention and believability of its effectiveness relied on seeing tangible visualizations of their own progress in symptom reduction and hearing about the success of other users through statistics and testimonials. Aligned with this feedback, an evaluation of a digital stress management tool among university students found that adding positive testimonials increased the acceptance of the tool (Apolinário-Hagen et al 2021).…”

Investigating information needs and preferences regarding digital mental health services among medical and psychology students in Germany: A qualitative study

“…Some studies provided at best few insights into the design of AFIs on dMHSs. 54 , 55 , 64 – 67 For instance, Apolinário-Hagen et al 68 investigated the influence of information with or without varying testimonials but found no change in attitudes toward dMHSs among university students, while a follow-up experiment indicated positive findings on attitudes and acceptance using optimized AFI material with testimonials. 67 Research on future HCPs as a specific student group is even scarcer.…”

“… 54 , 55 , 64 – 67 For instance, Apolinário-Hagen et al 68 investigated the influence of information with or without varying testimonials but found no change in attitudes toward dMHSs among university students, while a follow-up experiment indicated positive findings on attitudes and acceptance using optimized AFI material with testimonials. 67 Research on future HCPs as a specific student group is even scarcer. However, this is an essential first step that has not been covered by research yet, which could be one reason for the low uptake rates of dMHSs.…”