Modern Health, a San Diego-leading global workplace mental health platform, has officially published results from a groundbreaking study which was conducted on its behalf, by the non-profit research institute RAND Europe, a study that uncovers how individuals worldwide engage with mental health support.
According to certain reports, the stated study effectively highlights the significant differences among global engagement patterns, thus emphasizing the urgent need for a more innovative approach towards care that is scalable, sustainable, and personalized for each person’s specific needs and preferences. This also marks the first time ever such an effort has been conceived in the context of digital mental health industry.
To understand the significance of this development, we must take into account how the current global mental health crisis is projected to cost the world economy $6 trillion USD by 2030, with inevitable workplace implications given the clear connection between mental health, burnout, productivity, and the resulting costs.
Coming back to the study in question, it was conducted by entertaining responses from more than 178,119 registered Modern Health members across seven global regions.
Talk about the results, they showed how no less than 60% of registered members globally were found to engage with at least one service, and 25% were found to utilize both one-on-one therapy or coaching sessions and self-guided digital resources.
The study further revealed distinct engagement patterns across different regions, thus emphasizing the importance of multiple high-quality services. For instance, Latin American and Caribbean members displayed the highest overall engagement, whereas Asian members went on to display a stronger preference for self-guided digital resources, with fewer engaging in one-on-one therapy or coaching. In contrast, American members showed a preference for one-on-one provider sessions, with fewer utilizing digital activities.
“This research is key to better understanding how people around the world truly want to engage with mental health support. For too long, the industry has positioned therapy as the only fix to the global mental health crisis, but this approach is incomplete. Not only is there a shortage of therapists in the world—therapy isn’t always what people need or want, nor is it the only intervention that’s effective. There is no one-size-fits-all solution or single approach to care that will resolve mental health struggles worldwide,” said Dr. Neha Chaudhary, Chief Medical Officer at Modern Health.”
Moving on, the study also found that women are the frontrunners in utilizing mental health support. Not just that, they seemed to outdo men across all forms of support, including self-guided digital resources and one-on-one therapy or coaching. In essence, women were deemed as 30% more likely to use self-guided resources and 13% more likely to use one-on-one support than men.
Another detail worth a mention here stems from a generational divide which was uncovered to reveal younger members aged 18 to 27 years preferring one-on-one support. Against that contingent, members aged 38-67 years reported to prefer self-guided digital resources, showcasing their adaptability and interest in technology-driven solutions.
In fact, going by the available details, Baby Boomers (58-67 years) are understood to be 47% more likely to engage with self-guided digital resources than Gen Z (18-27 years), who are 257% more likely to engage in one-to-one care than Baby Boomers.
Anyway, apart from that, the study in question discovered remarkable satisfaction and retention rates among Modern Health’s global members, with an impressive 4.9/5 satisfaction rating across all regions. We get to say so because 40% of members continued to use the platform after 90 days, and therefore, surpassed industry benchmarks, which typically range from 5% to 20%.
“Multinational companies need to consider the diversity of their employees’ needs and cultural influences when it comes to mental health support. “It’s more important than ever to have data and evidence of global equity and reach when evaluating a solution that claims to have a global presence. Only then can you really maximize the impact for your entire workforce,” said Maureen Calabrese, Chief People Officer at Modern Health.