Fall 2024 Research Roundup

How Mental Health Apps Can Reduce Inequities 

The growing need for accessible, equitable mental health care is undeniable, and the challenges to provide it are steep. But a study by Professor KK Sinha, Associate Professor Necati Ertekin, Yi Tang, ’24 PhD, and Adam Moen, ’12 BSB, points to mental health mobile apps as a possible solution. Study participants from different backgrounds—including those from historically underserved populations—reported similar levels of app usage and health benefit from using a mental health mobile app. This suggests that the technology could reduce equity gaps across race-ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Allyship Is Essential to Mothers Returning to Work

Research by Assistant Professor Nitya Chawla examines how colleagues can provide allyship that helps mothers overcome the many challenges of returning to work. The study identified four types of allyship: co-navigating HR infrastructure and policies, creating physical spaces (i.e., lactation rooms) and temporal spaces (i.e., work-from-home flexibility) for motherhood, validating the worker identity (i.e., celebrating a postpartum mother’s return to work), and validating the mother identity (i.e., showing interest in the baby). 

Public Donations Are Perceived as Egoistic and Altruistic

New research by Professor Kathleen Vohs shows public charitable donations are sometimes viewed as a sign of egoistic motives, such as wanting to impress people, which deters others from donating. However, the research also shows that public donations can be viewed as altruistic, such as wanting to encourage others to donate, which induces people to give. Vohs notes that organizations can aim to boost perceptions of altruism through messaging around public donations.