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. 2018 Aug 22;6(8):e10748. doi: 10.2196/10748

Table 2.

Primary themes: exemplar quotes and rurality and age differences.

Theme and attitude Exemplar quotes Greater % of statementsa
Treatment effectiveness

Positive [A mental health app] would be fantastic...whenever I have one of those outbursts and frustration, I can just open it up, say “Okay, what’s my first step?” I’m sure there’s some pamphlet or publication out there that I could use, but carrying around a pamphlet everywhere you go [is cumbersome]...[ID #1023, 26-year-old rural male]

  • Urban veterans:

    • 68% (26/38) urban

    • 36% (10/28) rural

  • No age differences observed
Negative [Using a mental health app] sounds crazy...I don’t think I’ve got the patience to be sitting down reading about what can help me, I’ve pretty much heard it all...it just don’t seem like it would do anything. [ID #1004, 33-year-old rural male]

  • Rural veterans:

    • 24% (9/38) urban

    • 60% (17/28) rural

  • No age differences observed
Ease of use

Positive Everything’s really simplified with the apps. It’s easy. From my experience on the smartphone, you search almost anything, you find the one you want, you hit download. When it’s downloaded, you open it. [ID #2002, 39-year-old urban male]

  • Urban, younger veterans:

    • 45% (17/38) urban

    • 18% (5/28) rural

    • 39% (16/41) young

    • 24% (6/25) old
Negative I haven’t gotten acclimated to a smartphone yet...the technology is kind of difficult to navigate through. [ID #2023, 66-year-old rural male]

  • Rural, older veterans:

    • 13% (5/38) urban

    • 39% (11/28) rural

    • 15% (6/41) young

    • 40% (10/25) old
Culture and identity

Positive I mean my generation, [we] don’t have that much difficulty using technology as a means of communication or seeking help, but I can imagine older veterans...they’re just not used to using technology...it might be too much change. [ID #3003, 27-year-old urban female]

  • Urban veterans:

    • 13% (5/38) urban

    • 4% (1/28) rural

  • No age differences observed
Negative Now I see people standing there just looking at their phone, and they’re all in a group but nobody’s talking to each otherI mean what kind of society is this...I don’t understand it, there’s no interaction with other human beings. [ID #3019, 55-year-old urban male]

  • Rural veterans:

    • 11% (4/38) urban

    • 29% (8/28) rural

  • No age differences observed
Facilitators I went to a computer class you can sign up for while you’re inpatient [to learn] the basics, how to get on a computer. I haven’t used smartphones but...I believe I could probably use that, just pushing with your finger and all. [ID #1005, 56-year-old urban male]

  • Greater % of veterans reporting mobile phone ownership were younger:

    • 56% (23/41) young

    • 32% (8/25) old

  • No rurality differences observed
Barriers I’ve got these [sleep] apps...but I haven’t been doing quite as much [because] for the first month [my phone] worked and then all of a sudden it did like my old phone and won’t connect to the Wi-Fi. So [I don’t] use it that much because you use up your minutes. [ID #1006, 54-year-old urban female]

  • Greater % of veterans reporting not owning a mobile phone and having financial or connectivity barriers were rural and older:

    • 16% (6/38) urban

    • 32% (9/28) rural

    • 12% (5/41) young

    • 40% (10/25) old

aValues indicate the raw count and percentage of veterans per group (urban or rural, young or old) who made statements within a given theme. Findings are reported as a difference between groups if there is at least a ×1.5 difference between percentages.