TY  - JOUR
AU  - Virk, Punit
AU  - Arora, Ravia
AU  - Burt, Heather
AU  - Finnamore, Caitlin
AU  - Gadermann, Anne
AU  - Barbic, Skye
AU  - Doan, Quynh
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/8/9
TI  - Evaluating the Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of a Digital Psychosocial Self-Screening Tool (HEARTSMAP-U) for Postsecondary Students: Prospective Cohort Study
JO  - JMIR Ment Health
SP  - e48709
VL  - 10
KW  - mental health
KW  - screening
KW  - validity
KW  - postsecondary students
KW  - clinical utility
AB  - Background: Existing screening tools for mental health issues among postsecondary students have several challenges, including a lack of standardization and codevelopment by students. HEARTSMAP-U was adapted to address these issues. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of HEARTSMAP-U as a self-screening tool for psychosocial issues among postsecondary students by evaluating its validity evidence and clinical utility. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with University of British Columbia Vancouver students to evaluate HEARTSMAP-U’s predictive validity and convergent validity. Participating students completed baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments via HEARTSMAP-U and a clinician-administered interview. Results: In a diverse student sample (n=100), HEARTSMAP-U demonstrated high sensitivity (95%-100%) in identifying any psychiatric concerns that were flagged by a research clinician, with lower specificity (21%-25%). Strong convergent validity (r=0.54-0.68) was demonstrated when relevant domains and sections of HEARTSMAP-U were compared with those of other conceptually similar instruments. Conclusions: This preliminary evaluation suggests that HEARTSMAP-U may be suitable for screening in the postsecondary educational setting. However, a larger-scale evaluation is necessary to confirm and expand on these findings. 
SN  - 2368-7959
UR  - https://mental.jmir.org/2023/1/e48709
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/48709
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37556180
DO  - 10.2196/48709
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/48709
ER  -