University students across Europe and the Middle East are experiencing rising mental health challenges, yet stigma, limited mental health literacy, and reluctance to seek professional support continue to hinder early intervention. In culturally diverse higher education contexts—including the United Arab Emirates and comparable Mediterranean societies—social norms, fear of disclosure, and concerns about reputation influence students’ help-seeking behaviors. This study examines the effectiveness of AI-assisted picture-based digital storytelling as an innovative, culturally responsive pedagogical approach to enhancing mental health literacy, empathy, and help-seeking intentions among university students. Grounded in mental health literacy theory and constructivist narrative pedagogy, the intervention integrates structured story circles, reflective narrative writing, and symbolic visual composition with the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence as a learning scaffold. AI tools support idea organization, language refinement, and non-identifying image generation while preserving student authorship, agency, and transparency through guided protocols. Using a mixed-methods pre–post design, quantitative data are collected through validated measures of mental health literacy, empathy, and help-seeking intentions, while qualitative data are derived from thematic analysis of student-created stories and focus group discussions exploring perceptions of responsible AI use in emotionally sensitive learning contexts. The study proposes a replicable, ethically governed instructional model that aligns with global higher education priorities related to student well-being, digital innovation, and human-centered AI. By bridging socio-emotional learning and responsible artificial intelligence integration, the research contributes to international discussions on how universities can foster psychological awareness, empathy, and supportive help-seeking cultures through pedagogical innovation.

Authors:
Ghadah Al Murshidi, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Ghadah Al Murshidi is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at United Arab Emirates University in United Arab Emirates

See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule

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