Bernard A, Salhi L, de Ossorno Garcia S, John A, del Pozo-Baños M.

This study examines changes in user engagement with Kooth during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cohort study, based on usage data, included 18,889 users aged 14-25, split into pre-COVID and COVID cohorts. Results show a notable shift in primary engagement clusters, with a greater proportion of users in the COVID cohort engaging primarily with community-based interventions.

The study identified significant changes in how users engaged with digital mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. While users were generally less engaged during the pandemic, there was a notable increase in users seeking community-based interventions. The findings emphasised that continuous monitoring of user engagement patterns is crucial to develop informed designs and personalised interventions, since patterns within digital mental health services may be susceptible to change in response to external events such as a pandemic.