Bridging Resource Availability Gaps in Community Mental Health: A Feasibility Study of a Self-Guided Digital Support Tool

Background:Emotion regulation is a central process in psychological well-being and is increasingly supported through digital mental health tools designed to expand access to care. In community mental health set-tings where demand exceeds available human resources, self-guided web-based immersive approaches may enhance service availability gaps and increase engagement while providing short-term emotional regulation support, although real-world evidence remains limited.Objective:This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of deploying a web-based immersive digital sup-port tool for emotional regulation within a community mental health organization (Over The Rainbow Singapore), based on voluntarily submitted post-session feedback, and explored preliminary short-term affective signals following tool use. The pilot sought to determine if such tools could function as low-threshold, on-demand resources to support users when faced with limited or unavailable intervention resources.Methods:A single-arm pilot feasibility study used voluntarily submitted anonymous post-session feedback forms collected during routine use of Zen3D between February and October 2023. Zen3D is a self-guided web-based immersive support tool incorporating audiovisual environments, guided breathing cues, and attentional redirection. Feasibility indicators were derived from submission patterns and completion of feedback items. Short-term affective signals were assessed using retrospective self-reported emotional state ratings and a categorical post-session response item. Analyses were descriptive. Results:A total of 84 feedback submissions were recorded. Among these, 58.3% indicated perceived short-term emotional improvement. In submissions with complete paired retrospective ratings (n = 15), 73.3% showed a positive directional change, with mean emotional state ratings increasing from 3.07 to 3.93 (mean change +0.87). Notably, 41.7% of respondents expressed a continued desire for live volunteer support, highlighting the tool's role as a supplementary rather than a replacement resource.Conclusions:The findings support the feasibility of deploying a web-based immersive digital support tool in a com-munity mental health context. Observed affective changes were modest and exploratory, and while clinical efficacy cannot be inferred, the results suggest that low-threshold digital interventions can be integrated into existing community health operations to provide immediate access to emotional regulation strategies.