Author: Stephanie Tucker
Primary Advisor:
Committee Members:
Masters thesis, The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Health Information Sciences at Houston.
Abstract:
Mental disorders affect an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older, or one in four adults. Nearly half of those having a mental disorder meet the criteria for two or more disorders, with severity linked to the presence of more than one disorder (Kessler et al., 2005). Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) methods and psychoeducation are widely accepted and effective treatments for many types of mental disorders. For many suffering from mental illness, however, social, physical, mental, and even financial constraints may limit access to necessary care. Mobile education has the potential to reach populations currently unable or unwilling to access more traditional methods such as classrooms and office visits. We will give a rationale for using psychoeducation materials adapted for mobile devices as a way to address these barriers.
In spite of hosts of pilots and initiatives, mobile learning is still immature in its technological limitations and pedagogical considerations (Traxler, 2009). Park asserts that instructional designers need more guidance about how to use mobile technologies and how to integrate them into teaching (2011). In this light, we will also make recommendations for establishment of a reproducible methodology for translation of face-to-face and paper-based psychoeducational materials to a mobile platform.