Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health, Well-Being, Psychological
Conditions
Keywords
Latina, Women, Therapy
Brief summary
This study compares a choice-driven, interactive, evidence-informed storytelling web-based app intervention with links to resources and treatment (Tx) recommendations (made by a character via her blog) and Tx locator, to a web-based app with links to publicly available informational internet videos, MH resources, and a treatment locator for at least moderately anxious/depressed untreated English and Spanish speaking Latinas to determine if a story-based, character-driven approach is more effective for catalyzing mental health treatment initiation.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCatalina
Catalina transmedia web-based app intervention with 10 story-based videos (including bonus story extender videos) totaling 31 minutes plus the blog of the character, Veronica, which has MH resource links including Veronica's recommendations of at least 3 local Latinx-serving clinics in LA and Orange County ZIP Codes that offer low-cost MH Tx.
BEHAVIORALControl webpage
Links to informational videos (totaling 31 minutes) on depression and anxiety, listing of the same 3 local Latinx-serving clinics in LA and Orange County ZIP codes that offer low-cost MH Tx, and links to nationally available websites that offer resources (including access to service locators).
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
University of California, Los Angeles
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Intervention model description
Individual-level randomized controlled trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Latina (women who are from or have family ties to Latin America) * Currently resides in LA or Orange County * Age 18 and older * Able to speak, read, and write in English or Spanish * Score 10 or higher on GAD-7 and/or PHQ-8 * Access to the internet via smartphone, tablet, or computer * Not currently receiving mental health therapy or pharmacotherapy * Has not accessed mental health services during the previous 6 months
Exclusion criteria
* Not Latina or Hispanic * Under age 18
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Participants Initiating Mental Health Treatment (MH Tx) | 9 months | MH Tx initiation, defined as completing a MH specialist visit (initial evaluation or therapy visit) or a primary care visit that results in a pharmacotherapy prescription as documented by EHR data at the site identified by the participant as where they initiated MH Tx. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological openness | 9 months | Psychological openness (attitudes) subscale score of the Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS). The IASMHS is a 24 item scale and has three internally consistent factors: psychological openness, help-seeking propensity, and indifference to stigma. The subscales,range from 0 to 32. Higher scores indicate more positive attitude toward seeking mental health services. |
| Mental health help seeking attitude | 9 months | The Mental Health Seeking Attitudes Scale (MHSAS) contains 9 items which produce a single mean score, ranging 1-7. It measures respondents' overall evaluation (unfavorable vs. favorable) of their seeking help from a mental health professional if they found themselves to be dealing with a mental health concern. A higher score indicates a more favorable attitude toward seeking help. |
| Propensity to seek help | 9 months | Help seeking propensity subscale score of the Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS). The IASMHS is a 24 item scale and has three internally consistent factors: psychological openness, help-seeking propensity, and indifference to stigma. Subscales range from 0 to 32. Higher scores indicate a greater willingness to seek help. |
| Indifference to Stigma | 9 months | Indifference to Stigma subscale score of the Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS). The IASMHS is a 24 item scale and has three internally consistent factors: psychological openness, help-seeking propensity, and indifference to stigma. The subscale contains 8 items related to how concerned an individual would feel if others knew they were seeking psychological help, with each item rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (disagree) to 4 (agree); a higher score indicates a greater indifference to stigma; meaning the person is less concerned about others finding out about their mental health treatment. |
| Stigma Concerns | 9 months | Stigma Concerns about Care (SCC) is a 3-item questionnaire with responses on a 1-10 point scale, with higher scores indicating more concern about stigma. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depression | 9 months | The Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (PHQ-8) is an 8 item questionnaire for depression symptoms experienced during the preceding 2 weeks. Responses are scaled 0-3, total score range 0-24. A score of 10 or greater is considered major depression, 20 or more is severe major depression. |
| Anxiety | 9 months | The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD7) is a 7-item questionnaire to measure the severity of anxiety over the preceding 2 weeks. Responses range from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), with total score range 0-21. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactStudy Coordinator
Outcome results
None listed