Evaluation of a Website to Improve Depression Literacy in Adoldescents

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depression in Adolescence; Depressive Disorder

Treatments: Other: Strategies for promoting mental health; Other: General information about depression

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05300217

20115_2

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of the website "ich bin alles" (https://www.ich-bin-alles.de/) to improve depression literacy (knowledge about depression, which aid the recognition, treatment or prevention of depression) in healthy adolescents. The investigators will examine whether the website improves depression literacy in healthy adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. The investigators will also assess the acceptability of the website among adolescents.

Full description

Few young people with major depressive disorder seek professional treatment in time. Concerns about social stigma, confidentiality, and limited knowledge about mental health conditions, such as depression, or mental health services are some of the main barriers to seek treatment. To address these problems, we developed an evidence-based website "ich bin alles" (https://www.ich-bin-alles.de/) to improve depression literacy.

To improve depression literacy, the website provides general information about depression as psychiatric disorder in adolescents (e.g., symptoms, causes, course and treatment of depression). Furthermore, the website provides information about self-help strategies for depression and prevention of depression; i.e., strategies for promoting mental health (e.g., reducing stress, doing exercise, undertaking positive activities), which are meant to serve as an addition to professional treatments of depression or to promote mental health in adolescents.

Target groups of the website are adolescents aged 12 to 18 years seeking help for depression, as well as healthy adolescents seeking information about mental health promotion or depression. Easy access to information about depression would make early recognition of depression more likely and engage young people to seek help for depression.

Since the website targets two different groups, the investigators will evaluate the website accordingly:

Target group 1: Adolescents with a major depressive disorder (acute or remitted) Target group 2: Healthy Adolescents (no mental health condition) The current study will focus on target group 2. A study focusing on target group 1 can be found in a separately registered clinical trial on clinicaltrials.gov.

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of the website "ich bin alles" (https://www.ich-bin-alles.de/) to improve depression literacy in healthy adolescents.

Enrollment: 79 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 18 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Intelligence quotient (IQ) of ≥ 80

Exclusion criteria

• Current diagnosis of a mental disorder
• Remitted depressive disorder
• Insufficient knowledge of German

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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79 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention Group 1 - Strategies for promoting mental health

Experimental group

Description:

Exposure to information about strategies for promoting mental health

Treatment:

Other: Strategies for promoting mental health

Intervention Group 2 - General information about depression

Experimental group

Description:

Exposure to general information about depression

Treatment:

Other: General information about depression