Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling mental health condition associated with enduring functional impairments and reduced quality of life across the lifespan. Research on DMHIs in schizophrenia has predominantly focused on symptom-based outcomes and has largely been conducted using younger populations. As a result, there remains a gap in understanding how DMHIs can be designed to improve functional outcomes and QoL in middle- and older-aged adults with schizophrenia. Given the increasing prevalence of psychosocial disability and persistent functional impairments in this population, there is a critical need to prioritise personal recovery and everyday functioning.

DMHIs offer a promising avenue to address systemic barriers to mental health care access, including issues of cost and service engagement. However, their application in older populations presents unique challenges, such as low digital familiarity, age-related physical and cognitive challenges. To address this, and ensure relevance and acceptability of the intervention, this project will adopt a co-design approach, actively involving end users (middle- and older-aged adults with schizophrenia) in the development of the intervention prototype. This approach will support the creation of a user-centred and contextually appropriate tool while also generating practical recommendations for tailoring existing DMHIs and informing future digital intervention development.

This project aims to examine how digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) may improve functional outcomes among community-dwelling adults aged 45 years and over living with schizophrenia, and how to co-develop and prototype a tailored DMHI for this population. In doing so, it aims to generate both empirical and practical insights to inform the development of inclusive, function-oriented digital interventions that are responsive to the needs, values, and lived experiences of middle-aged and older adults with schizophrenia.