• Research finds that one-time use of a free online tool can positively support young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
  • The Action Brings Change (ABC) UK wellbeing activity has been developed by psychologists and health researchers at the University of Bath in partnership with the Lab for Scalable Mental Health in the USA.
  • A one-off, brief, self-guided online mental health support tool has been shown to meaningfully improve young people’s sense of hope and control over their lives.
  • The tool’s evidence-backed activities provide an accessible additional option to traditional mental health services, paid-for mental health apps or AI.

Developed by psychologists and health researchers at the the University of Bath, Project Action Brings Change (ABC) UK is a free digital support tool - known as a digital single‑session intervention (SSI) - that provides short, accessible and evidence-based psychological support and wellbeing activities.

Research into the tool published today has found that use of ABC UK increased users’ feelings of hope and self-agency, and reduced feelings of being ‘out of control.’

Taking 15-20 minutes to complete, a single session using the ABC UK tool provides young people with high-quality information about psychological science, and self-help exercises and questions to help them apply what they have learned.

Available online at unlockwellbeing.org.uk, the tool is free and can be accessed via the internet from any device.

Professor Maria Loades, a Clinical Psychologist in Bath’s Department of Psychology and lead author of the research paper, said: “These early findings suggest that a short, engaging digital activity can offer meaningful emotional support to teenagers at scale. ABC UK could be a valuable, accessible, and anonymous option at a time when many young people are struggling to access traditional clinic-based services.

“ABC UK aims to help young people understand the link between what they do and how they feel, to learn how to break cycles of avoidance, and set small, meaningful goals they can pursue immediately.”

Designed to be therapeutic and deliver benefits straight away, ABC is intended for one-off use and focuses on one key message – opening up the possibility of immediate change. ABC has previously been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in young people in the US at a three-month follow-up.

Of the 356 13–18-year-olds in the UK who completed pre- and post-activity assessments, researchers found: increased hope and self-agency, reduced hopelessness, and reduced feelings of life being ‘out of control’. All changes were statistically significant, with moderate effect sizes. Importantly, young people in the UK liked it:

  • 87% found it easy to understand
  • 85% found it easy to use
  • 70% said it was helpful

Reaching underserved groups

More than half of participants in the UK study identified as LGBTQ+, and they were more likely than their peers to complete the intervention. This suggests that anonymous, self-guided digital mental health support may be particularly appealing to sexual minority adolescents – a group that is both at higher risk of mental health difficulties and less likely to seek face‑to‑face help. As rates of youth anxiety and low mood continue to rise, researchers say brief, anonymous digital support tools may help bridge gaps in access to mental health services.

Dr Jeff Lambert, a Senior Lecturer in Bath’s Department for Health, added: “We know that many young people struggle to access timely mental health support. While there are a series of apps and services available, and more young people are turning to AI for therapy, ABC UK is free, accessible and underpinned by peer-reviewed research and can help them take small, meaningful steps to improve their wellbeing.”

Participants for further trials wanted

The team is now set to expand their study to include 19–25-year-olds as well as 13-18s and take place over a longer time period. Young people interested in trying the tool and taking part in future studies can find out more information at unlockwellbeing.org.uk.

Participants do not have to have accessed or tried to use other sources of support before taking part.

Prof Maria Loades added: “Our mission is to improve access to early help for teenagers and young adults with mental health symptoms with digital interventions. Tools like ABC UK can bring significant benefits in a simple, rapid, and appropriate way, so we’re very keen to find more trial participants to further understand how these tools can be refined and improved.”

About the study

The paper Immediate Effects and Experiences of a Digital Single-session Behavioural Activation based Intervention for Adolescents: a single arm pre-post programme evaluation of Project ABC in the UK is published in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (DOI: 10.1177/13591045261433857).

The research was conducted by the University of Bath’s Department of Psychology and the Mental Health Research Group, supported by partners including Kooth and Shout 85258.

Funding was provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).