What is the impact of using thedesk on the wellbeing and psychological distress of undergraduate students? A systematic case series.

Students are at greater risk of compromised wellbeing and elevated levels of psychological distress when compared with their non-student peers. They are also less likely to seek help. Web-based interventions may be able to support students to improve their wellbeing. This thesis was undertaken in order to investigate the impact of one such web-based intervention, thedesk, on students’ levels of wellbeing and psychological distress. The project used a mixed-methods, systematic case series design. Nine participants completed the study. They were asked to use thedesk for six weeks whilst completing measures of their wellbeing, psychological distress, coping style and general self-efficacy, and were later interviewed about their experiences of using thedesk. The results indicated that thedesk had a positive impact on two of the participants’ levels of wellbeing and psychological distress. None of the participants displayed improvements in their coping style or levels of self-efficacy. Usage data showed that many of the participants’ engagement with thedesk during the study was low. During the interviews, participants gave both positive and constructive feedback about thedesk. They reported thinking that a web-based intervention designed for students was a good idea, that the content was helpful and appropriate for a student population, but that more content should be added to thedesk and it would benefit from being updated in several ways. The results indicate that students are receptive to web-based interventions, but that further research should be conducted to determine how to make these interventions as engaging and helpful as possible.