Publication Date

Fall 2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Evan Palmer; Bianca Hinojosa; Sean Laraway

Abstract

Despite the availability of mobile mental health apps, high dropout rates due to low user engagement and attitudes about their effectiveness remain significant challenges. The present study examined the relationship between digital therapeutic alliance (i.e., the efficacy of therapeutic quality for digitalized mental health interventions) and college students’ engagement and perceptions of use with a gamified mental health app, SuperBetter. Digital therapeutic alliance was measured using the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR), while engagement was assessed by the total number of completed activities in the SuperBetter app. Students’ intrinsic motivation was measured using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI); and perceptions of use was measured using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology scale (UTAUT). Participants oriented themselves with SuperBetter for 15 minutes, and completed the IMI, WAI-SR, and UTAUT scales on Qualtrics. The study hypothesized that higher scores on the digital therapeutic alliance scales would relate to increased engagement and perceptions of use. In addition, it was hypothesized that digital therapeutic alliance and intrinsic motivation would predict increased engagement and perceptions of use. However, digital therapeutic alliance was only related to increased perceptions of use; and digital therapeutic alliance and intrinsic motivation only predicted increased perceptions of use.

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