Reducing Stigma and Increasing Treatment Seeking Intentions Among Adolescents

Depression is a leading cause of illness and disability in teenagers. Longer duration of untreated depression (DUD) is associated with greater severity, poorer outcome, and cognitive impairment. Stigma toward people with depression has been identified as a barrier to seeking help; therefore, reducing stigma toward young people at depressive risk could enhance their receptivity to seeking treatment. Social contact is a form of interpersonal contact with members of the stigmatized group and the most effective type of intervention for improvement in stigma-related knowledge and attitudes. In a prior study, the investigators developed short video interventions to reduce stigma and increase treatment seeking among adolescents with depression. The videos feature adolescent protagonists varied by race/ethncitiy and gender (Black girl, Black boy, White girl, White boy, Hispanic girl, Hispanic boy, nonbinary or transgender adolescent) who will share their experiences with depression, challenges, and recovery process. The investigators would like to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of these tailored videos as compared to a video control condition (which provides information about depression and how to seek help but does not include a personal story) on reducing self-stigma and increasing help-seeking intentions and behavior at baseline, post, 2 week follow-up, and 4 week follow-up among adolescents ages 14-18 recruited via Cloudresearch. The videos will be shown again at 2 week follow-up.