Reducing Depression-related Stigma and Increasing-treatment Seeking Among Black Adolescents

Reducing Depression-related Stigma and Increasing-treatment Seeking Among Black Adolescents

The purposes of this study are to:

1. test among adolescent the utility of brief video-based interventions to reduce stigma-related attitudes and increase help-seeking intentions toward depression;
2. examine the role of race (Black vs other) as an independent factor in the primary outcome.

Intervention videos will each be of ~120-second duration and feature an underage female professional (age 16) acting as a simulated patient. All three videos will focus on her as an empowered presenter with depression sharing her personal story regarding depression and describe how social supports from family, friends, and community, as well as professional help assisted her in overcoming symptoms of the illness.

Assessments will occur at baseline and post-intervention, and will include:

1. Demographics (baseline only);
2. Primary outcome: Depression-related stigma(Depression Stigma Scale [DSS]) summary score.
3. Secondary outcomes: a. DSS individual items; b. Help-seeking (General Help-Seeking Questionnaire [GHSQ]) summary score and individual items; and bc Racial attitudes: feelings thermometers.

The investigators intend to randomly assign ~1,000 individuals aged 14-18 as follows:

Subjects oversampled for Black participants (50% Black; 50% other);

Randomized, in equal proportions, and stratified by race, to view one of three ~120-second videos of a girl with:

1. No depression control (Black; BC);
2. Depression (Black, following same script as in our earlier study (Amsalem and Martin, 2021), DB); and
3. Depression adjusted (Black, with script adjusted based on input from focus group of Black girls and women; DBa).

Inclusion Criteria:

• English-speaking
• Living in the US
• Ages 14 - 18

Exclusion Criteria:

• None