Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Mr Daniel Costin
ORCID ID
Contact details
Centre for Mental Health Research
Building 63
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT
0200
Australia
+61 (0)2 6125 2741
Daniel.Costin@anu.edu.au
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
N/A
Study information
Scientific title
Acronym
Study hypothesis
Hypotheses about the effect of the interventions on mental health literacy:
1. Participants who receive depression information interventions will form less stigmatising attitudes towards depression and more positive beliefs about the helpfulness of evidence based treatments and health professionals who provide these treatments
2. Participants who receive depression information interventions will report a greater knowledge of the types of treatment that GPs and mental health professionals provide for depression and what to expect at an initial consultation
3. The effect seen in hypothesis 2 will be strongest in participants who receive the enhanced depression information intervention. This intervention includes practical advice about how to make contact with these health professionals and what to expect at the initial consultation.
4. Participants who receive depression information interventions will be more likely to report knowledge of an Australian website that has good information about depression and its treatment
Hypotheses about the effect of the interventions on help seeking behaviour:
5. The depression information interventions will modify help seeking behaviour in participants with elevated levels of depression. Specifically, at post-intervention follow-up, these participants will be more likely to report that they recently sought help for feelings of depression from their GP or a mental health professional and less likely to have sought help from informal sources
6. The study also tests the hypothesis that young adults go through particular stages of behavioural change before seeking professional help for depression; and investigates whether movement through these stages is related to informational content of the depression interventions
Hypotheses about the effect of the interventions on helping behaviour:
7. The study will also investigate whether the depression information interventions have an effect on participants helping behaviour towards friends who are experiencing depression
Ethics approval
Ethics approval received from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Australian National University on the 2nd November 2006 (ref: 2006/247).
Study design
Randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Not specified
Trial type
Quality of life
Patient information sheet
Condition
Depression
Intervention
Two versions of the depression information interventions (basic and enhanced) will be compared to a control intervention. Participants who receive the depression information interventions receive a series of three weekly e-mails containing information about depression; its treatment; health professionals who provide these treatments; and resources for further information. The enhanced intervention contains more detailed information and also addresses ambivalence towards seeking professional help.
Participants in the control intervention receive a series of three weekly e-mails containing information about Meningococcal disease, amphetamines, and Gamma-hydroxyburate (GHB).
Contact details of Principal Investigator:
Prof Helen Christensen
Centre for Mental Health Research
Building 63
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT, 0200
Australia
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Specified
Drug names
Primary outcome measures
Help seeking behaviour for feelings of depression.
Secondary outcome measures
Mental health literacy outcomes:
1. Recognition of depression
2. Beliefs about the helpfulness of supportive counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy and anti-depressants for young adults with depression
3. Beliefs about the helpfulness of various people (including professionals and non-professionals) for young adults with depression
4. Depression stigma directed toward the self (self stigma)
5. Self-reported knowledge of processes involved in seeking help for depression from different health professionals
6. Self-reported knowledge about the types of help/treatments for depression provided by different health professionals and what to expect at an initial consultation
7. Self-reported knowledge of "an Australian website that has good information about depression and its treatment"
Helping behaviour outcomes:
Referral of depressed peers to a GP or mental health professional.
Other help seeking intentions and behaviour outcomes:
Stage of change for the behaviour of seeking professional help for feelings of depression.
Mental health status outcomes:
Self reported symptoms of depression.
Overall trial start date
05/02/2007
Overall trial end date
30/06/2007
Reason abandoned
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Aged 19 - 23 years
2. Report that they use e-mail in a screening questionnaire and provide researchers with their first name and e-mail address
3. Be willing to participate in the trial
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
900
Participant exclusion criteria
For ethical reasons, participants will be excluded from participating in the trial if they obtain the maximum score on a psychological distress scale included in the screening questionnaire (indicating that they are likely to be severely depressed)
Recruitment start date
05/02/2007
Recruitment end date
30/06/2007
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Australia
Trial participating centre
Centre for Mental Health Research
Canberra ACT
0200
Australia
Sponsor information
Organisation
Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University (Australia)
Sponsor details
Building 63
Canberra ACT
0200
Australia
+61 (0)2 6125 2741
cmhr@anu.edu.au
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Funder name
Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University (Australia)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Not provided at time of registration
Intention to publish date
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Results - basic reporting
Publication summary
2009 results in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19850549
Publication citations
-
Results
Costin DL, Mackinnon AJ, Griffiths KM, Batterham PJ, Bennett AJ, Bennett K, Christensen H, Health e-cards as a means of encouraging help seeking for depression among young adults: randomized controlled trial., J. Med. Internet Res., 2009, 11, 4, e42, doi: 10.2196/jmir.1294.