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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0751

From cards to code: scaling existential health interventions to promote mental health, prevent mental illness, and reduce suicidality

FROM CARDS TO CODE: SCALING EXISTENTIAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH, PREVENT MENTAL ILL HEALTH, AND REDUCE SUICIDALITY

A card-based intervention grounded in Melder's theory of existential health was adapted into a mobile app, with improvements in quality of life and meaning in life, alongside good feasibility and acceptability.

The aim of the study is to present a digital application based on Melder's theory of existential health (2011) and an evaluation of its suitability. The rationale draws on research indicating that existential dimensions enhance mental health, well-being, and quality of life, as well as the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) 2016 position statement, which recognizes spiritual and religious factors as important for mental health; addressing these dimensions presents challenges in highly secular yet multireligious contexts such as Sweden. Two interventions were developed: a health promotion intervention using Reflection Cards titled Courage, Joy, and Meaning in Life, inspired by the World Health Organization Quality of Life Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs module (WHOQOL-SRPB), and a prevention program comprising three additional knowledge-based modules. In a mixed-methods evaluation, group interventions were examined using pre–post WHOQOL-SRPB assessments and qualitative feedback from clinical and community samples; the model was subsequently adapted into a mobile app in collaboration with a general practitioner specializing in psychiatry. The digital intervention is currently undergoing testing for feasibility, accessibility, and acceptability among 40 users stratified by familiarity with existential issues and language. The interventions were reported to improve quality of life, meaning in life, and overall well-being; the cards facilitated structured dialogue and the internalization of existential resources across diverse groups, including psychiatric patients and healthcare professionals. The digital application was reported to demonstrate good feasibility and acceptability and to offer accessible, low-threshold support that reduces stigma; the study concluded that the model translates existential theory into a culturally sensitive, scalable intervention aligned with WPA recommendations.

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