Reducing Stigma and Increasing Treatment Seeking Intentions Among Adolescents

Summary

Depression is a leading cause of illness and disability in teenagers. Longer duration of untreated depression (DUD) is associated with greater severity, poorer outcome, and cognitive impairment. Stigma toward people with depression has been identified as a barrier to seeking help; therefore, reducing stigma toward young people at depressive risk could enhance their receptivity to seeking treatment. Social contact is a form of interpersonal contact with members of the stigmatized group and the most effective type of intervention for improvement in stigma-related knowledge and attitudes.

In a prior study, the investigators developed short video interventions to reduce stigma and increase treatment seeking among adolescents with depression. The videos feature adolescent protagonists varied by race/ethncitiy and gender (Black girl, Black boy, White girl, White boy, Hispanic girl, Hispanic boy, nonbinary or transgender adolescent) who will share their experiences with depression, challenges, and recovery process. The investigators would like to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of these tailored videos as compared to a video control condition (which provides information about depression and how to seek help but does not include a personal story) on reducing self-stigma and increasing help-seeking intentions and behavior at baseline, post, 2 week follow-up, and 4 week follow-up among adolescents ages 14-18 recruited via Cloudresearch. The videos will be shown again at 2 week follow-up.

Conditions

• Stigma, Social
• Mental Health Disorder
• Adolescent Behavior
• Depression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (Black Girl)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young Black girl, a professional actor, sharing her scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (Black Boy)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young Black boy, a professional actor, sharing his scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (Latinx Girl)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young Latinx girl, a professional actor, sharing her scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (Latinx Boy)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young Latinx boy, a professional actor, sharing his scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (White Girl)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young White girl, a professional actor, sharing her scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (White Boy)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young White boy, a professional actor, sharing his scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Brief video intervention (Nonbinary or transgender)

A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young nonbinary or transgender adolescent, a professional actor, sharing their scripted personal story of struggles with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.

BEHAVIORAL

Control Condition

A video that will provide information about depression and how to seek help but does not include a personal story.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York State Psychiatric Institute

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-06-03

Primary Completion

2024-08-17

Completion

2024-08-17

Countries

• United States

Study Locations