Confirmation Bias Towards Treatments of Depressive Disorders in Social Tagging

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Depressive Episode; Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent; Depressive Disorder, Major; Depression
• Interventions: Other: Confidence in Prior Attitudes; Other: Social Tag Popularity; Other: Source Credibility

• Registration Number: NCT03899168
• Lead Sponsor: Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien

Brief Summary

The study examines whether people primarily want to confirm their prior attitudes in health-related information search, in an online environment using social tags for navigation. Participants were looking for information on the treatment of depression with antidepressants and psychotherapy. They were randomly assigned to two groups with either high or low credibility of the community who provides social tags, and two groups where participants' confidence in prior attitudes was heightened or lowered, and to two groups where either antidepressant tags were more popular or psychotherapy was more popular. The investigators measured attitude change toward the treatments and also navigation behavior.

Detailed Description

In health-related, Web-based information searches, people should select information in line with expert (vs nonexpert) information, independent of their prior attitudes and consequent confirmation bias.

This study aimed to investigate confirmation bias in mental health-related information searches, particularly (1) if high confidence worsens confirmation bias, (2) if social tags eliminate the influence of prior attitudes, and (3) if people successfully distinguish high and low source credibility.

In total, 520 participants of a representative sample of the German Web-based population were recruited via a panel company. Among them, 48.1% (250/520) participants completed the fully automated study. Participants provided prior attitudes about antidepressants and psychotherapy. The investigators manipulated (1) confidence in prior attitudes when participants searched for blog posts about the treatment of depression, (2) tag popularity -either psychotherapy or antidepressant tags were more popular, and (3) source credibility with banners indicating high or low expertise of the tagging community. The investigators measured tag and blog post selection, and treatment efficacy ratings after navigation.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2014-11-14
• Primary Completion: 2014-11-14
• Study Completion: 2014-11-14
• Status Verified: 2019-03
• Study First Submitted: 2019-03-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-04-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-04-01
• Study First Posted: 2019-04-02
• Last Update Posted: 2019-04-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 520

Inclusion Criteria

Online Population - Internet Browser, Representative Sample of Germans with respect to age and region

Exclusion Criteria

No Internet Browser

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Confidence in Prior Attitudes	Confidence in Prior Attitudes	Confidence in prior attitudes (high vs. low: recalling situations in which participants were confident or uncertain about their thoughts)
Social Tag Popularity	Social Tag Popularity	Popularity of Social Tags (antidepressants more popular vs. psychotherapy more popular)
Source Credibility	Source Credibility	Credibility of the source (tagging community: experts - many years of professional experience vs. novices - students in the first semester)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Attitudinal Preference Score of Psychotherapy over Antidepressants	Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. Prior to and after information search phase in the study.	The investigators constructed a questionnaire to measure the attitudinal preference of psychotherapy over antidepressant treatments of depressive disorders. On a 7-point likert scale, participants rate the degree of efficacy of antidepressant and psychotherapy treatments, on 8 items (e.g. item 1: "Antidepressants/Psychotherapy are/is effective in treating depression."). An index score for the degree of preference of psychotherapy is calculated by subtracting the average antidepressants score from the average psychotherapy treatment rating score for each participant. To analyse if attitudinal preferences predict the number of clicks on social tags and blog posts, the treatment preference score is entered in a logistic regression as predictor. Ratings are inquired at the beginning of the 1 hour study (prior attitudes), and at the end of the study (attitude change).
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment tags	Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.	Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant tags can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment blog posts	Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.	Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant blog posts can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.