title: Spanish students' use of the Internet for mental health information and support seeking.
abstract: The Internet is a growing source of information for health in general, with university student being online almost daily. Evaluating their use of the Internet for mental health information and support can help understanding if online tools and websites should be used for mental health promotion and, to some extent, care. A survey was conducted with more than 600 students of Law, Nursing and Computer Science of the University of Cadiz in Spain to determine their general use of the Internet and their perceptions and trust in using this medium for mental health information. Data were collected using a 25-item-questionnaire and findings indicated that students had a strong distrust in online mental health information, notwithstanding their daily use of the Internet. The frequency and methods of their research on the Internet correlated with their health status, their medical consultations and with certain socio-demographic characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Italy; INSERM, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, France ilariamontagni@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Montagni
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 8097, Centre Maurice Halwbachs, France; INSERM, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Parizot
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Aine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horgan
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Operational Research, University of Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Caballero
authors.affiliation: Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (Biostatistics), University of Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Almenara-Barrios
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Operational Research, University of Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lagares-Franco
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Operational Research, University of Cádiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peralta-Sáez
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR_S 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chauvin
authors.affiliation: Section of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amaddeo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012944:Social Support; D013030:Spain; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035502:Trust
keywords: Spain; internet; mental health; online information; university students