Mental Health Content and Mental Health Outcomes

Examining the Effects of Mental Health Content on Help-Seeking and Self-Diagnosing Behavior: Cross-sectional Survey Study

The study will aim to explore the relationship between mental health content on social media and health behavior, addressing a gap in empirical research. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, a survey with over 600 participants will examine associations between exposure to mental health content and behaviors like help-seeking and self-diagnosis.

Background: Mental health content has recently surged in popularity across social media. However, current empirical research lacks a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between mental health content and health behaviour.

Objective: This study will aim to address this gap by examining different types of mental health content and their relationship to behavior. Specifically, it will explore whether exposure to mental health content will be associated with either positive behaviors, like help-seeking, or maladaptive ones, such as self-diagnosing.

Methods: Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey will be conducted with over 600 participants to answer the research questions. Baseline measures will include participants' exposure to various types of mental health content, and mental well-being (depression, anxiety, and scores from the DASS-21). The outcome measures of interest will be help-seeking attitude (IASMHS) and self-diagnosing (SELF-I) behavior.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrollment is restricted to healthy adults between 21-34 (or 18-34 for university students)
• Use at least one social media platform (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X)
• Participants need to be able to read and understand English.
• Participants must also have lived in Singapore for at least 2 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Anyone who does not feel comfortable answering questions related to mental health and exposure to mental health-related content online.