ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION WINTER 2023 - Forum: Supporting Mental Health - Part 2 - A Digital Literacy Program for Adults with Mental Health Conditions

Oct 15, 2026

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Adult literacy limitations significantly reduce access to education, daily functioning, and health resources, with low literacy often comorbid with mental illness. Modern health systems increasingly rely on telehealth and digital tools, making both general literacy and digital skills essential for adults to engage independently with care. Evidence highlights persistent “digital divides” in both access and digital literacy, and shows that telehealth uptake can remain limited even during COVID-19. The discussion argues for a smartphone-based digital literacy program for adults with mental health conditions, aiming to deliver scalable, customizable training and standardized assessments that track skill improvement and retention.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Forum: Supporting Mental Health

Digital divides: access and literacy

Smartphone-based digital literacy training for adults

Challenges and unmet needs for assessment

ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION WINTER 2023 | [http://doi.org/10.35847/SPerret. NAlon.JTorous.5.1.49](http://doi.org/10.35847/SPerret. NAlon.JTorous.5.1.49) | | | --- | --- | | | Forum: Supporting Mental Health | (Part 2 of3) A Digital Literacy Program for Adults with Mental Health Conditions Sarah Perret, NoyAlon, and John Torous Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Limited literacy has a large impact on the U.S. population; about half of adults lack sufficient literacy proficiency (Rothwell, 2020) . However, not all populations are impacted equally, as there is a significant comorbidity between low literacy and mental illness (Sentell & Shumway, 2003) . Evidence suggests that patients suffering from a mental illness can experience reading difficulties in childhood (Maughan & Carroll, 2006), which in part contributes to the delays seen in adulthood. Low literacy not only makes educational attainment and completing daily tasks challenging but also is associated with poor health outcomes (including mental health) and is a recognized barrier to accessing health resources (Sentell & Shumway, 2003) . It is imperative that adults with mental illnesses gain a sufficient literacy level to engage actively and independently with their health care system. Navigating the health care system today requires not only advanced general literacy, but also a facility with digital technology. In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems’reliance on telehealth and other digital health technology has accelerated. For example, the rates of telehealth visits increased by 154% in 2020 in comparison to the same period in 2019 (Koonin et al. , 2020) . Telehealth and other digital health technologies, such as smartphone apps, have the potential to increase access to care in scalable, cost-effective, and innovative ways. Due to this potential, internet connectivity and digital literacy have been named super social determinants of health as they both contribute to other social determinants of health (Sieck et al. , 2021) . For example, schedules and alerts for public transportation are now updated mostly online, and thus patients lacking the ability to check the internet might be delayed or miss their appointment. Despite the health care system’s growing reliance on technology, digital health has not been the panacea once promised, especially for psychiatry. Recent evidence has shown that as few as 5% of people receiving mental health care via telehealth during the height ofCOVID-19 were first-time patients (Rosanwo, 2021) illustrating how simply offering telehealth services does not lead to increased access to care . Recent data show that patients suffering from more severe diseases such as a serious mental illness access telehealth less frequently (Rosanwo, 2021) . In this light, calls for digital equity and inclusion have become more widespread (American Medical Association, 2022; Lyles et al. , 2021) . These calls have centered around addressing two digital divides: access and literacy. First, to engage with technology, individuals must have access to a device and internet connection. This divide [Correspondence: jtorous@bidmc.harvard.edu](Correspondence: jtorous@bidmc.harvard.edu) 49 continues to close as smartphone ownership in the United States is at near ubiquitous levels across the general population (Pew Research Center, 2021b) and more severely ill patients (Franco et al. , 2022), and federal assistance programs such as the Federal Communications Commission Project Lifeline Program can assist eligible U.S. citizens in receiving a free smartphone and data plan (Federal Communications Comission, n .d.) . The second digital divide, an individual’s lack of skills, comfort, and knowledge with technology, continues to persist. In one sample, 46% of adults with serious mental illnesses lacked the digital skills necessary for daily life (Spanakis et al. , 2022) with disparities also seen in older adults (Z

FAQs

Why does limited literacy matter for adults with mental health conditions?

Limited literacy affects educational attainment, completion of daily tasks, and access to health resources. Evidence also links low literacy with mental illness and reading difficulties that can originate in childhood.

How has COVID-19 changed the need for digital literacy in health care?

Health systems’ reliance on telehealth and digital tools accelerated during COVID-19. As a result, patients need both digital access and skills to navigate scheduling, alerts, and online care resources.

What two digital divides does the program discussion focus on?

The discussion centers on the digital divide in access (devices and internet connectivity) and the digital divide in literacy (skills, comfort, and knowledge with technology).

Why are smartphones proposed as a key platform for digital literacy training?

Smartphones are presented as the most accessible option, with broader ownership than computers. Smartphone instruction can support a range of functional skills for users with both high and low baseline digital literacy.

Oct 15, 2026

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