A Pilot Evaluation Study on the Use of a Mobile Application to Support Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health Literacy Among Medical Student in Universiti Putra Malaysia

A Pilot Evaluation Study on the Use of a Mobile Application to Support Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health Literacy Among Medical Student in Universiti Putra Malaysia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Pilot Evaluation Study on the Use of a Mobile Application to Support Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health Literacy Among Medical Student in Universiti Putra Malaysia Ruziana Masiran, Kit-Aun Tan, Nur Diyana Mat Rasol, Sharmili Roy This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8631798/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: There is growing recognition of the importance of addressing the gaps in psychological well-being and mental health literacy among university students using artificial intelligence (AI)-based programs. We conducted a pilot study to examine the effectiveness of an AI-powered application on mental health, well-being, and mental health literacy among medical undergraduate students. Methods: Questionnaires to measure changes in mental health literacy and well-being were administered to participants before and after using the Zoala application for a month to measure changes in mental health literacy and well-being. Usage and access rates of the Zoala application were recorded by Zoala Pte Ltd to evaluate engagement and user interaction with the app. Focus group discussions were conducted to identify areas for improvement and to enhance the application's effectiveness. Results: Mental health literacy improved significantly in two domains: Recognition of Disorders ( p<0.05 ) and Knowledge of How to Seek Mental Health ( p<0.05 ). There were no significant differences in anxiety, depression, or well-being between pre- and post-assessment. No other MHLS domains showed significant change. The technical data showed a high engagement rate, with participants frequently accessing the application and utilizing its features. The FGDs revealed valuable insights into the application's user experience. Participants appreciated the comprehensive mental health resources provided by the app, but they also identified areas for improvement, such as the need for more interactive features and personalized content. Conclusion: Zoala demonstrated meaningful potential to improve specific aspects of mental health literacy among medical students. These findings suggest Zoala may serve as an accessible digital support tool, with future research needed to evaluate long-term psychological and behavioral outcomes. Educational Psychology conversational artificial intelligence digital mental health mental health literacy preventive mental health students Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8631798","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":576310303,"identity":"bdf49bb2-3126-4167-8a69-15b07e93b2a8","order_by":0,"name":"Ruziana Masiran","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universiti Putra Malaysia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ruziana","middleName":"","lastName":"Masiran","suffix":""},{"id":576310304,"identity":"30510247-73a8-4aa5-85d6-115528e8637b","order_by":1,"name":"Kit-Aun Tan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universiti Putra Malaysia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kit-Aun","middleName":"","lastName":"Tan","suffix":""},{"id":576310305,"identity":"de9df91c-6497-4308-ae10-c4c582fc74d0","order_by":2,"name":"Nur Diyana Mat Rasol","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universiti Putra Malaysia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nur","middleName":"Diyana Mat","lastName":"Rasol","suffix":""},{"id":576310306,"identity":"a5d66f94-7fe1-4145-b423-6e9b3a43a91b","order_by":3,"name":"Sharmili Roy","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCRBhYMHDD6IfkKBFgkeyAUgnEK8FSBocIFaL/OzmZ59uFEjIGJ8/fPBDQg2DPD8hLQZ3jhnPzgE6zOzAsWSJhGMMhjMbCGmRSDBmBms52ANkszEkgF2I12Ez0j+DtRg38xj/SPhHhBaGGzkQWwzYeMwkEtuI0GJwI6cYrEXiDFuaRWKfBGG/AB22mTnnj409f//hwzc+fLMhHGLoQIJUDaNgFIyCUTAKsAEAFHo2pi3o8toAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Zoala Pte. 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We conducted a pilot study to examine the effectiveness of an AI-powered application on mental health, well-being, and mental health literacy among medical undergraduate students.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003eQuestionnaires to measure changes in mental health literacy and well-being were administered to participants before and after using the Zoala application for a month to measure changes in mental health literacy and well-being. Usage and access rates of the Zoala application were recorded by Zoala Pte Ltd to evaluate engagement and user interaction with the app. Focus group discussions were conducted to identify areas for improvement and to enhance the application's effectiveness.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eMental health literacy improved significantly in two domains: Recognition of Disorders (\u003cem\u003ep\u0026lt;0.05\u003c/em\u003e) and Knowledge of How to Seek Mental Health (\u003cem\u003ep\u0026lt;0.05\u003c/em\u003e). There were no significant differences in anxiety, depression, or well-being between pre- and post-assessment. No other MHLS domains showed significant change.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eThe technical data showed a high engagement rate, with participants frequently accessing the application and utilizing its features. The FGDs revealed valuable insights into the application's user experience. Participants appreciated the comprehensive mental health resources provided by the app, but they also identified areas for improvement, such as the need for more interactive features and personalized content.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion: \u003c/strong\u003eZoala demonstrated meaningful potential to improve specific aspects of mental health literacy among medical students. 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