Examining the Effects of Mental Health Content on Help-Seeking and Self-Diagnosing Behavior: Cross-sectional Survey Study
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- Yale-NUS College
- Enrollment
- 600
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Self-Diagnosing Behaviors for Mental Health
Study Overview
Brief Summary
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.
Detailed Description
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.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Observational
- Observational Model
- Ecologic Or Community
- Time Perspective
- Cross Sectional
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 34 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
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.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Self-Diagnosing Behaviors for Mental Health
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Self-identification as having a Mental Illness (SELF-I) scale. Items were on 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not true at all) to 5 (Completely True)
Help-Seeking Behaviors
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS). Items were on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("Somewhat Disagree") to 4 ("Agree").
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported