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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05300217

Evaluation of a Website to Improve Depression Literacy in Adoldescents

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Depressive Disorder Behavior Depression in Adolescence Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being

Age range

12 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich

Munich, Bavaria, 80336, Germany

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Intelligence quotient (IQ) of ≥ 80

Exclusion criteria

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

Treatment and study plan

Strategies for promoting mental health

Other

Before starting the intervention, the participants are told that they will be shown parts of a website about depression. The participants are instructed to carefully attend to the website (e.g., to read the text precisely, to hear attentively to the podcasts and images on the website). The time window spent for the reception of each part of the website are fixed.

The participants in this intervention group will only be shown parts of the website regarding strategies for promoting mental health

General information about depression

Other

Before starting the intervention, the participants are told that they will be shown parts of a website about depression. The participants are instructed to carefully attend to the website (e.g., to read the text precisely, to hear attentively to the podcasts and to view carefully the videos and images on the website). The time window spent for the reception of each part of the website are fixed.

The participants in this intervention group will only be shown parts of the website regarding general information about depression

Primary outcomes

  1. Depression Literacy - Strategies for promoting mental health

    Time frame: Pre-Test, Post-Test (within 2 hours), Follow-Up 1 (Week 2), Follow-Up 2 (Week 4)

    This self-designed questionnaire is a self-report inventory to assess knowledge of strategies for promoting mental health (exercise, dealing with problems and stress, positive attitude, postive activities and social contacts; 27 items), with higher scores indicating more knowledge of strategies for promoting mental health. Participants will complete this self-designed questionnaire at pre-test, post-test and the two follow-ups to determine change in knowledge of strategies for promoting mental health.

  2. Depression Literacy - Depression as psychiatric disorder

    Time frame: Pre-Test, Post-Test (within 2 hours), Follow-Up 1 (Week 2), Follow-Up 2 (Week 4)

    This self-designed questionnaire is a self-report inventory to assess knowledge of depression as psychiatric disorder (frequency and comorbidities, treatment, symptoms, causes and course of depression; 27 items), with higher scores indicating more knowledge of depression as psychiatric disorder. Participants will complete this self-designed questionnaire at pre-test, post-test and the two follow-ups to determine change in knowledge of depression as psychiatric disorder

Secondary outcomes

  1. Visual Aesthetics of Websites Inventory Short Version (VisAWI-S)

    Time frame: Post-Test (within 2 hours)

    The short version of the Visual Aesthetics of Websites Inventory (VisAWI-S) is self-report inventory to assess the evaluation of the website's design - especially the perceived visual aesthetics. Participants indicated their response to the four items (e.g., "The layout appears professionally designed") on a seven-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 "do not agree at all" to 7 "do fully agree")

  2. Overall reception of the website

    Time frame: Post-Test (within 2 hours)

    The overall reception of the website as measured with a self-designed questionnaire

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich

Other

Collaborators

  • Prof. Otto Beisheim Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluating the Efficacy and the Acceptability of the Website "Ich Bin Alles" to Improve Depression Literacy in Adolescents

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Mar 29, 2022
Registry last updated
Jul 27, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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