Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study
BackgroundThe World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime, highlighting the need for accessible support. ObjectiveThis study evaluates the integration of digital peer support (DPS) into an em...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JMIR Publications
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | JMIR Human Factors |
| Online Access: | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e68221 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850081232264626176 |
|---|---|
| author | Harpreet Nagra Robert A Mines Zara Dana |
| author_facet | Harpreet Nagra Robert A Mines Zara Dana |
| author_sort | Harpreet Nagra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundThe World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime, highlighting the need for accessible support.
ObjectiveThis study evaluates the integration of digital peer support (DPS) into an employee assistance program (EAP), testing 3 hypotheses: (1) DPS may be associated with changes in EAP counseling utilization within a 5-session model; (2) DPS users experience reduced sadness, loneliness, and stress; and (3) DPS integration generates a positive social return on investment (SROI).
MethodsThe study analyzed EAP utilization within a 5-session model using pre-post analysis, sentiment changes during DPS chats via natural language processing models, and SROI outcomes.
ResultsAmong 587 DPS chats, 432 (73.6%) occurred after business hours, emphasizing the importance of 24/7 availability. A matched cohort analysis (n=72) showed that DPS reduced therapy sessions by 2.07 per participant (P<.001; Cohen d=1.77). Users’ messages were evaluated for sentiments of sadness, loneliness, and stress on a 1-10 scale. Significant reductions were observed: loneliness decreased by 55.04% (6.91 to 3.11), sadness by 57.5% (6.84 to 2.91), and stress by 56.57% (6.78 to 2.95). SROI analysis demonstrated value-to-investment ratios of US $1.66 (loneliness), US $2.50 (stress), and US $2.58 (sadness) per dollar invested.
ConclusionsIntegrating DPS into EAPs provides significant benefits, including increased access, improved emotional outcomes, and a high SROI, reinforcing its value within emotional health support ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-be22b95fe81a44f59a51d6dd2d400377 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2292-9495 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Human Factors |
| spelling | doaj-art-be22b95fe81a44f59a51d6dd2d4003772025-08-20T02:44:46ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952025-02-0112e6822110.2196/68221Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort StudyHarpreet Nagrahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5334-8655Robert A Mineshttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-5004-4884Zara Danahttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-1952-6304 BackgroundThe World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime, highlighting the need for accessible support. ObjectiveThis study evaluates the integration of digital peer support (DPS) into an employee assistance program (EAP), testing 3 hypotheses: (1) DPS may be associated with changes in EAP counseling utilization within a 5-session model; (2) DPS users experience reduced sadness, loneliness, and stress; and (3) DPS integration generates a positive social return on investment (SROI). MethodsThe study analyzed EAP utilization within a 5-session model using pre-post analysis, sentiment changes during DPS chats via natural language processing models, and SROI outcomes. ResultsAmong 587 DPS chats, 432 (73.6%) occurred after business hours, emphasizing the importance of 24/7 availability. A matched cohort analysis (n=72) showed that DPS reduced therapy sessions by 2.07 per participant (P<.001; Cohen d=1.77). Users’ messages were evaluated for sentiments of sadness, loneliness, and stress on a 1-10 scale. Significant reductions were observed: loneliness decreased by 55.04% (6.91 to 3.11), sadness by 57.5% (6.84 to 2.91), and stress by 56.57% (6.78 to 2.95). SROI analysis demonstrated value-to-investment ratios of US $1.66 (loneliness), US $2.50 (stress), and US $2.58 (sadness) per dollar invested. ConclusionsIntegrating DPS into EAPs provides significant benefits, including increased access, improved emotional outcomes, and a high SROI, reinforcing its value within emotional health support ecosystems.https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e68221 |
| spellingShingle | Harpreet Nagra Robert A Mines Zara Dana Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study JMIR Human Factors |
| title | Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_full | Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_short | Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study |
| title_sort | exploring the impact of digital peer support services on meeting unmet needs within an employee assistance program retrospective cohort study |
| url | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e68221 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT harpreetnagra exploringtheimpactofdigitalpeersupportservicesonmeetingunmetneedswithinanemployeeassistanceprogramretrospectivecohortstudy AT robertamines exploringtheimpactofdigitalpeersupportservicesonmeetingunmetneedswithinanemployeeassistanceprogramretrospectivecohortstudy AT zaradana exploringtheimpactofdigitalpeersupportservicesonmeetingunmetneedswithinanemployeeassistanceprogramretrospectivecohortstudy |