Depression
Conditions
Keywords
Depression, mental health, wellbeing, online bulletin board, online support group
Brief summary
This study is a randomised controlled trial that aims to examine the efficacy of an established online bulletin board for depression. It has been estimated that millions of people worldwide use peer-to-peer bulletin boards, forums or internet support groups (ISGs) for health conditions. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these groups in terms of symptom reduction or improvement in quality of life. The current project investigates the effectiveness of an established online bulletin board for depression available to the public. To our knowledge, this is the first randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a pre-existing, well-established online bulletin board for depression in the community. The aims of the project are to determine whether the bulletin board improves mental health, quality of life, and related outcomes among members of the community with high levels of self-reported psychological distress and previous history or current experience of depression.
Interventions
OTHERbulletin board
An asynchronous online bulletin board for people with experience of depression
Sponsors
Louise Farrer
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Over 18 years of age 2. Internet access with email 3. Self-report of current or previous experience of depression
Exclusion criteria
1. Current participation in an online support group for depression 2. Diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depressive symptoms: Centre for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) | Baseline | 20-item self -report measure of depression severity |
Countries
Australia
Outcome results
None listed