Publication Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Yuan, Shupei

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication

Abstract

Digital mental health applications have proven to be effective, yet adoption remains very low among African international students in the United States. This study investigated how 17 university students perceive the usefulness of mental health apps, evaluate existing tools through their cultural lens, and recommend what a culturally responsive app would look like – all through a semi-structured interview with an app exploration exercise at a Midwestern public university. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the African-Centered Wellness Model, there were six (6) key themes that emerged revealing participants carried skewed pre-migration mental health frameworks, dealt with their stressors without formal support or structures, and relied on culturally grounded coping systems that effectively replaced app adoption. The study identified a pre-TAM barrier in which the awareness condition required for adoption decisions had never been met. The app was evaluated as lacking the spiritual, communal, and indigenous dimensions central to African personhood. Perceived usefulness for this population is not a functional judgment but a cultural one, and the study proposes cultural perceived usefulness as a new TAM construct while advancing the TAM-ACWM integration. Findings are useful for universities, app developers, health communicators, and clinical psychologists.

Extent

84 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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