Discussion
This study offers a comprehensive understanding of user perceptions and utilisation of specific features of the nationally developed AI-enabled digital mental wellness platform mindline at work. Overall, participants have responded positively to mindline at work and its specific features. Particularly noteworthy are the customised resources on the platform, which effectively help users relax by promoting present-moment awareness and non-judgemental acceptance. This intentional focus allowed users to temporarily detach from work stressors, offering a sense of relaxation even in high-paced work environments. Moreover, through interaction with the platform, participants recognised the importance of managing distractions, which led them to prioritise self-care and establish boundaries to support their long-term mental well-being.32 These findings echo prior literature that demonstrates the effectiveness of digital platforms on mindfulness in promoting overall mental wellness.33 34
What is novel in our findings is the significant value of bibliotherapy, involving reading materials to support office-based working adults dealing with workplace issues. In the context of mindline at work, bibliotherapy is a thoughtful process that encompasses reading, reflection and engaging in discussions focused on workplace-related topics. This deliberate engagement brought about a cognitive shift among our participants, helping them effectively manage stress and cultivate workplace resilience.35 Furthermore, it is important to note that bibliotherapy in mindline at work is different from traditional literature reading in a structured setting.36 The selections in mindline at work are professionally curated, offering users a unique opportunity to pinpoint content directly relevant to their individual concerns. This feature is particularly beneficial as it self-directs users to familiarise themselves with pertinent knowledge and provides them with the tools necessary to confront their issues directly.37 By gaining insights and understanding through these articles, users can address challenges effectively, enhancing their problem-solving capabilities and, in turn, mitigating stress. Nevertheless, despite these advantages, a recent examination of 578 mental wellness platforms revealed a notable absence of targeted reading activities as a common feature.38 This underscores the untapped potential of bibliotherapy as a stress mitigation strategy particularly among working adults, making our study a valuable contribution to the field.
Concurrently, this study has addressed the lack of understanding in the literature regarding utilisation of specific features within digital mental wellness platforms among working adults. We observed that individuals with less than 5 years of work experience favoured more interactive features such as emotion self-assessments and the chatbot. It is plausible that these younger and less work-experienced users, often holding junior-level positions, are likely to experience heightened stress, including job insecurity, limited control and complex interpersonal relationships.39 As a result, they demonstrated a propensity for adopting proactive approaches, such as actively seeking help through frequent interactions with tools like chatbots to effectively manage their work-related issues. On the other hand, users with longer work experience reported a higher likelihood of using multimedia resources such as reading articles or watching videos. These individuals typically occupy more senior roles and may have accumulated enriched life experiences, leading to better coping mechanisms when faced with work-related stress.40 Hence, they tended to use static resources for general wellness improvement rather than seeking immediate relief during stressful situations. These observations emphasised the importance of thoughtful planning and feature development for workplace mental wellness platforms, taking into account the varying needs of users at different stages of their careers.
What distinguishes mindline at work from other general digital mental wellness platforms is the incorporation of an emotionally intelligent and empathy-driven AI chatbot (Wysa) with transdiagnostic capabilities, a unique feature that is not commonly found in many mental wellness platforms.41 In today’s fast-paced and competitive work environment, working adults often encounter a broad spectrum of mental wellness challenges. From our qualitative component of the study, we found that Wysa provided participants with a structured and constructive perspective, encouraging them to explore their own thoughts and emotions through dynamic dialogues. This seemed to foster an active approach to addressing their mental health concerns. This finding aligns with the existing literature, emphasising the potential of AI-enabled chatbots as valuable tools for promoting mental wellness and complementing traditional mental wellness services such as onsite wellness programmes and therapy sessions.42 43 Despite the evident benefits, participants in our study recognised the limitations of AI chatbots and expressed the importance of incorporating human coaching. Hence, the potential integration of human support through trained professionals could be considered to further enhance the platform’s efficacy, cultivating a stronger sense of connection and optimising the benefits of AI chatbots in promoting mental wellness.
Finally, in spite of consistent emphasis in the literature on the importance of continuous utilisation of mental wellness platforms,44 many digital mental wellness tools often suffer from poor rates of sustained engagement.45 46 In a recent review of the top 50 platforms designed for depression and anxiety, nearly 60% have no active monthly users.47 This lack of consistent engagement poses a significant challenge to the platform’s usability, as many mental wellness issues require continuous support and monitoring. When users do not regularly interact with the platforms, they may miss out on vital support, potentially leading to a disconnection from their therapy goals.48 Although our survey results showed that over half of the participants would continue using mindline at work, it remains crucial to explore various strategies aimed at user engagement and retention. Personalised support and diverse content offerings were found to be instrumental in addressing the problems associated with poor sustained use.49 50 Our qualitative findings also highlighted the importance of workplace encouragement for uptake and sustained use. Therefore, institutional efforts aimed at supporting workers’ mental well-being can further contribute to improving sustained use, leading to more meaningful outcomes for the working population.
Strengths and limitations
This study expands on existing theories on digital mental wellness and workplace stress, such as self-determination theory, which posits that personal level factors such as autonomy, competence and relatedness influence one’s intention to seek mental healthcare.51 52 At the same time, our findings underscore the critical role of organisational support, on top of personal level factors, in promoting the adoption and sustained use of digital wellness platforms. This reinforces the ongoing discourse emphasising the importance of environmental and sociocultural factors in promoting workplace mental health interventions.53
The strength of this study lies in its unique focus on user perspectives of a digital mental health platform among working adults, a population segment largely overlooked in the plethora of available mental wellness platforms.54 The findings highlight the necessity for personalised user experiences tailored to different segments of the workforce, such as younger employees preferring interactive features and more experienced workers favouring static resources. This indicates that future digital mental wellness platforms should incorporate adaptive algorithms to customise content based on user profiles. The study also uncovers both the benefits and constraints of an emotionally intelligent AI chatbot from the perspectives of working adults.29 While the findings underscore the value of integrating enhanced AI capabilities with human support, we recommend a hybrid approach where users can escalate from chatbot interactions to live sessions with mental health professionals for more holistic care. Moreover, the critical role of organisational endorsement suggests that developers should collaborate with companies to promote a supportive workplace culture, ensuring higher adoption and sustained engagement. These insights provide concrete recommendations for creating more effective, user-centred digital mental wellness solutions that address the specific needs and stressors of working adults. In addition, the mixed-methods design employed in our research facilitated the identification of avenues for enhancing a nationally initiated digital mental health platform and its features through user feedback. The insights gleaned may offer transferable lessons applicable beyond our specific context and may be particularly relevant to the field of workplace mental wellness using informatics and digital technology.
The study has a few limitations to consider. First, participants used the platform for only 4 weeks. Due to its anonymous nature, it was not possible to monitor full compliance, potentially affecting response accuracy. Although the majority of participants expressed their intention to sustain usage, the absence of a longitudinal follow-up study limits our ability to substantiate these claims. Another limitation of our study is the voluntary nature of participation, which may result in a non-representative sample due to self-selection bias. This could impact the generalisability of our findings, as those who chose to participate may differ systematically from those who did not. Finally, as baseline data were not collected, establishing a relationship between changes in well-being and the utilisation of specific features was not possible. Future research could consider adopting an intervention study with a larger sample, which might provide a more robust understanding of the impact of mindline at work on mental wellness among the working population.