Help-Seeking Behavior

The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of brief video interventions parental internalized stigma and stigma-related outcomes (e.g., treatment intentions, caregiver burden, secrecy) among parents (ages 25-50) of children ages 6-18 with depression, ADHD, or substance use problems. Timely identification and treatment of mental health problems in youth is a public health priority. However, many youth do not receive treatment, and stigma has been identified as the primary barrier to help-seeking. Parents experience stigma related to their children having mental health problems, which has been associated with reduced help-seeking and increased parental distress. Prior experiments have found brief video-based interventions (BVIs), 1-2 minute videos similar to those viewed by youth on social media platforms, based on the principle of "social contact" with individuals affected by a stigmatized condition, effective in reducing mental health stigma and increasing help-seeking. In this 4-arm RCT, the investigators will recruit parents aged 25-50 using an online crowdsourcing platform, to test the efficacy of BVIs featuring a personal parent narrative of their experience with their child's a) depression, b) ADHD, or c) substance use, or d) a control condition that provides general written psychoeducational information without social contact.

The goal of this study is to find out how well adolescents in Dutch-speaking secondary schools in Brussels can recognize emotional neglect, and how this relates to their intention to seek help. The main research questions are: 1. How well do adolescents recognize situations of emotional neglect, and do boys and girls differ in their recognition? 2. Does recognition of emotional neglect predict adolescents' intention to seek help? This study is conducted through an online survey. Participants will read one of four short written stories about an adolescent experiencing emotional neglect. The stories vary by gender (boy or girl) and by the clarity of the neglect (clear or ambiguous). After reading, participants answer questions about the story, including their thoughts and how they might respond in a similar situation. They also answer questions about their own experiences and attitudes toward help-seeking.

The goal of this quasi-experimental, community intervention is to reduce HIV sexual risk among Latino immigrant bisexual men or men who have sex with men. The main questions the study aims to answer are: Does the intervention improve sexual risk behaviors? Does the intervention increase self-esteem and social support? Are self-esteem and social support mediators in the link between the intervention and sexual risk? Researchers will compare information from the intervention versus control participants to answer the above questions. Participants in the intervention arm will take part in: * One day-long (8-hour) group retreat. * Weekly discussion groups. * Community events and civic engagement activities. * Prevention counseling. Participants in the control arm will not be part of any activity.

This study examines mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors among adolescents aged 13-18 years in Assiut City, Egypt. Mental health problems are common among young people, but many adolescents do not seek professional help when they need it. This is often due to low mental health literacy (not understanding mental health problems or knowing where to get help), stigma (negative attitudes toward mental illness), and fears about confidentiality or being judged. The study has two parts: Part 1 - Assessment Phase: Researchers will survey approximately 270 students from preparatory and secondary schools in Assiut to understand their current levels of mental health literacy, stigma, and willingness to seek help for mental health problems. Students will complete validated questionnaires that measure their knowledge about mental health, their attitudes toward peers with mental health problems, and their intentions to seek help from various sources. Part 2 - Intervention Phase: In a randomized controlled trial involving 150 students (75 in an intervention group and 75 in a control group), researchers will test whether a brief educational program can improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and increase help-seeking intentions. The intervention consists of three weekly classroom sessions covering: (1) mental health literacy - basic concepts, common problems in adolescents like stress and anxiety, recognizing symptoms; (2) stigma reduction - understanding how negative labels hurt people, recognizing public and self-stigma, using respectful language; and (3) help-seeking behavior - knowing when to seek help, understanding formal and informal help sources, overcoming barriers, and learning about local resources in Assiut. Students in both groups will complete questionnaires before the intervention and one month after completion. The control group will not receive the educational sessions during the study period. Researchers will compare changes in mental health knowledge, stigma levels, and help-seeking attitudes between the two groups to determine whether the program is effective. The study aims to address a critical gap in mental health services for adolescents in Upper Egypt by improving young people's understanding of mental health and encouraging them to seek appropriate help when needed.

This study will deploy a scalable secondary prevention program that leverages existing foster youth transition services to improve mental health functioning and service use before and after exiting foster care. Our short-term objective is to remotely test a group intervention called Stronger Youth Networks and Coping (SYNC) that targets cognitive schemas influencing stress responses, including mental health help-seeking and service engagement, among foster youth with behavioral health risk. SYNC aims to increase youth capacity to appraise stress and regulate emotional responses, to flexibly select adaptive coping strategies, and to promote informal and formal help-seeking as an effective coping strategy. The proposed aims will establish whether the 10-module program engages the targeted proximal mechanisms with a signal of efficacy on clinically-relevant outcomes, and whether a fully-powered randomized control trial (RCT) of SYNC is feasible in the intended service context. Our first aim is to refine our SYNC curriculum and training materials, prior to testing SYNC in a remote single-arm trial with two cohorts of 8-10 Oregon foster youth aged 16-20 (N=26). Our second aim is to conduct a remote two-arm individually-randomized group treatment trial with Oregon foster youth aged 16-20 with indicated behavioral health risk (N=80) to examine: (a) intervention group change on proximal mechanisms of coping self-efficacy and help-seeking attitudes, compared to services-as-usual at post-intervention and 6-month follow-up: and (b) association between the mechanisms and targeted outcomes, including emotional regulation, coping behaviors, mental health service use, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Our third aim is to refine and standardize the intervention and research protocol for an effectiveness trial, including confirming transferability with national stakeholders.

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.