Help-Seeking Behavior, Stigma, Social
Conditions
Keywords
stigma, help-seeking, suicidal, mental, treatment
Brief summary
People tend to care about what others think and often change our behaviors accordingly. But what if people do not have an accurate understanding of what others really think? Stigma is pervasive, especially in the Black and Asian American communities, which can prevent people from seeking help. This study explores whether correcting misperceptions (by showing what people really think) about depression and suicide can increase help-seeking behaviors among Black and Asian emerging adults who have untreated depression and suicidal thoughts.
Detailed description
Suicide rates have increased for Black and Asian American emerging adults in California, untreated depression contributes to this concerning trend. A major deterrent to treatment utilization is stigma, which has been known to decrease help-seeking behaviors. Black and Asian American communities have been known to have higher levels of mental health stigma than their white counterparts. People with untreated depression and suicidal thoughts often turn to the internet for help, meaning online interventions can play a crucial role in nudging individuals toward help-seeking. Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) is one such intervention that has been widely used to modify a range of health behaviors. The premise of PNF is that people generally hold exaggerated views about what their peers deem acceptable (i.e., perceived social norms), which in turn influences behavior. However, perceptions that are so often passively accepted can be challenged with gentle confrontation. PNF actively corrects these views by providing accurate information about what people actually think is acceptable, thus re-routing the social pressure toward conformity to the healthier behavior. Working closely with a community advisory board, we use survey data we collected on social norms from Black and Asian American emerging adults aged (18-29) and explore the extent to which presenting these social norms can increase help-seeking intentions and behaviors. This study will identify Black (N=80) and Asian American (N=80) emerging adults with untreated depression and/or recent suicidal ideation but have expressed no intention to seek help, and within each racial group, randomly assign half to a PNF treatment and half to the control condition. This study will test whether the PNF intervention will decrease stigma, increase intention to seek treatment, and one month later, test whether the intervention led to help-seeking behaviors. This study will also collect survey data on the acceptability, safety, and feasibility of PNF. If efficacious, the researchers expect to be able to administer this cost-effective, quick, and easy intervention to thousands of individuals to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPersonalized Normative Feedback (PNF)
Presenting participants with information about their perceptions of social norms, and actual data on social norms, while highlighting discrepancies, and gently confronting participants toward behavioral changes.
BEHAVIORALAttention control
The participants will engage in an activity online for the same duration as the intervention.
Sponsors
Han Oh
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 29 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adults aged 18-29 * Asian American * Black American * Suicidal ideation * Depression * Not currently in treatment * English speaking
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived public stigma | The intervention takes place on a single day, and so the assessments will occur at baseline and immediately following the intervention (post-test) on the same day, and then 30-day follow-up. | The Discrimination and Devaluation Scale will be administered through a survey and assess whether people perceive their social norms (public stigma) differently. The 12 items in the scale will be averaged and will range from 0-3, with higher values indicating greater perceived public stigma. |
| Number of participants who express intention to to seek help | Since the intervention occurs on a single day, the assessment will take place at baseline, and then immediately following the intervention (post-test), and then 30 days after as a follow-up assessment. | Participants will rate their intention to seek help from 12 different sources (e.g., family member, partner, pastor, friend, 9-8-8); each source will be rated using an four category ordinal item ranging from 'definitely won't do this' to 'definitely will do this'. |
| Number of participants who engage engage in help-seeking behaviors | 30 day follow-up | Actually contacting one of 12 sources of help, including contacting a provider, talking to a friend, talking to a pastor, calling 9-8-8. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTHans Oh, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORHans Oh, PhD
University of Southern California
Outcome results
None listed