Abstract
This study examined the utilization of digital mental health tools and its influence on academic performance among undergraduate students of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. The study adopted a cross-sectional and correlational research design. The population comprised 18,049 registered undergraduate students across selected faculties during the 2025/2026 academic session, from which a sample of 887 students was drawn using multi-stage sampling involving fishbowl, simple random, proportionate, and availability sampling techniques. A self-developed instrument, the Utilization of Digital Mental Health Tools and Its Influence on Academic Performance among University of Maiduguri Undergraduate Students Borno State (UDMHTIAPUMUSBS), structured on a 4-point Likert scale, was used for data collection. The instrument was validated for face and content validity and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.81 using the Spearman-Brown split-half method. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient) at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a moderately high level of utilization of digital mental health tools, with mobile applications being the most preferred modality (74.5%). Results showed a statistically significant, moderately strong positive relationship between utilization of digital mental health tools and academic performance (r = 0.612, p < 0.05); a significant positive association between factors influencing utilization and academic performance (r = 0.489, p < 0.05); and a significant positive relationship between utilization and its influencing factors (r = 0.557, p < 0.05). Device availability, personal awareness, and gaps in campus counselling services emerged as key drivers of utilization, while institutional promotion remained weak. The study concluded that digital mental health tools are a valuable, under-leveraged complement to conventional student support services, and recommended their formal integration into university mental health provision.