Can an mHealth Wearable Help College Students Deal With Stress?

Researchers at Texas A&M University are piloting an mHealth wearable platform designed to alert the user to symptoms of stress and anxiety and provide links to resources.

Led by Farzan Sasangohar, an assistant professor at Texas A&M’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, the team has developed an mHealth app that pairs with a commercial smartwatch. Drawing data from the smartwatch sensors, the app uses AI technology to identify when the user is exhibiting signs of stress or anxiety.

The pilot program, called Mental Health Evaluation and Lookout (mHELP), targets college students and aims to give them on-demand access to digital health resources, including therapeutic activities. It would also integrate with care providers’ management plans that might include in-person or virtual counseling sessions, enabling those providers to monitor their patients through the app.

“Mental health is affecting students’ academic success and their overall quality of life,” Sasangohar said in a news story published by the university. “Mental illness can also affect a student’s motivation, concentration and social interactions, which are all crucial factors for a student to be successful in college and life.”

Funded by the university’s X-Grants Program, mHELP targets the growing need for mental and behavioral health programs that address high school- and college-aged students, many of whom lack easy access to care providers or are reluctant to seek help.

An added benefit to this platform is that it’s vendor-neutral. The mHealth app synchs with a variety of off-the-shelf wearables, enabling students to use their own smartwatch.

As mHealth technology becomes more ubiquitous, future versions of the platform might be able to integrate with more devices, such as smartphones, smartglasses, earbuds and sensor-embedded clothing, giving patients and their care providers more ways to monitor and treat stress and anxiety.