Toward a Sustainable Mental Health Care Model in Qatar: Balancing Challenges and Feasibility Through Public and Provider Perspectives

Toward a Sustainable Mental Health Care Model in Qatar: Balancing Challenges and Feasibility Through Public and Provider Perspectives | 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 Toward a Sustainable Mental Health Care Model in Qatar: Balancing Challenges and Feasibility Through Public and Provider Perspectives Wahiba Abu-Ras, Leena Babiker Idris, Mai Al-Quraini, Shahira Amin This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7039874/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Telemental health care (TMHC) presents significant opportunities to improve access to mental health services in Qatar, a context marked by systemic constraints, cultural stigma, and limited digital readiness. While TMHC offers convenience, privacy, and the potential to overcome geographic and logistical barriers, its implementation remains uneven and underutilized. This study explores the sociocultural, structural, and operational dynamics shaping the feasibility and acceptability of TMHC in Qatar. Methods: This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 62 participants, including members of the general population (n = 34) and mental health professionals (n = 28). Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling strategies via social media, community outreach, and clinical networks. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s (2020) six-phase approach to identify recurring patterns and generate nuanced, interpretive themes. Findings: Four thematic issues emerged: (1) Cultural Stigma and Social Perceptions of Mental Illness, highlighting how stigma, gender norms, and family reputation shape attitudes toward mental health and limit TMHC’s impact; (2) Structural and Logistical Barriers to Mental Health Access, including long wait times, cost, digital illiteracy, and insufficient TMHC infrastructure; (3) Relational Dynamics and Therapeutic Trust in Virtual Care, where lack of provider training and cultural discomfort with virtual communication disrupt therapeutic alliances; and (4) Opportunities and Pathways for Culturally Responsive TMHC Integration, emphasizing participants’ calls for early mental health education, provider training, and community-based campaigns to improve service reach and engagement. Conclusions: TMHC holds promise in reducing access gaps, particularly for women and younger populations, but is constrained by stigma, technological inequities, and weak provider-patient rapport in virtual settings. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated, culturally sensitive policies, investment in digital infrastructure, and collaborative strategies that engage families, communities, and frontline professionals. The findings underscore the urgency of embedding TMHC within broader efforts to destigmatize mental health and build a more inclusive care ecosystem. Telemental health care Qatar stigma cultural perceptions digital infrastructure therapeutic relationships access to care Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files TMHCSociodemographicTable.docx SemistructurteprotocolTMHCProviders.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 29 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 03 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 02 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 05 Aug, 2025 Editor invited by journal 16 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 15 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 15 Jul, 2025 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. 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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-7039874","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":500249629,"identity":"33fa8893-562a-4aa5-9e7d-21108444e14f","order_by":0,"name":"Wahiba 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While TMHC offers convenience, privacy, and the potential to overcome geographic and logistical barriers, its implementation remains uneven and underutilized. This study explores the sociocultural, structural, and operational dynamics shaping the feasibility and acceptability of TMHC in Qatar.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMethods: This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 62 participants, including members of the general population (n = 34) and mental health professionals (n = 28). Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling strategies via social media, community outreach, and clinical networks. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s (2020) six-phase approach to identify recurring patterns and generate nuanced, interpretive themes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFindings: Four thematic issues emerged: (1) Cultural Stigma and Social Perceptions of Mental Illness, highlighting how stigma, gender norms, and family reputation shape attitudes toward mental health and limit TMHC’s impact; (2) Structural and Logistical Barriers to Mental Health Access, including long wait times, cost, digital illiteracy, and insufficient TMHC infrastructure; (3) Relational Dynamics and Therapeutic Trust in Virtual Care, where lack of provider training and cultural discomfort with virtual communication disrupt therapeutic alliances; and (4) Opportunities and Pathways for Culturally Responsive TMHC Integration, emphasizing participants’ calls for early mental health education, provider training, and community-based campaigns to improve service reach and engagement.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConclusions: TMHC holds promise in reducing access gaps, particularly for women and younger populations, but is constrained by stigma, technological inequities, and weak provider-patient rapport in virtual settings. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated, culturally sensitive policies, investment in digital infrastructure, and collaborative strategies that engage families, communities, and frontline professionals. 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