---
title: Reducing Depression Self-stigma and Increasing Treatment Seeking Intentions Among Youth
nct_id: NCT06172075
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: NA
sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Stigma, Social
countries: United States
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT06172075.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06172075"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2024-09-04
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T06:28:32.885Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Reducing Depression Self-stigma and Increasing Treatment Seeking Intentions Among Youth

**Official Title:** Reducing Self-stigma and Increasing Treatment Seeking Intentions Among Youth With Depressive Symptoms: A Mixed-methods Study

**NCT ID:** [NCT06172075](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06172075)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** NA
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 1520
- **Lead Sponsor:** New York State Psychiatric Institute
- **Conditions:** Stigma, Social, Mental Health Disorder, Depression
- **Start Date:** 2024-04-15
- **Completion Date:** 2024-05-29
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2024-09-04

## Brief Summary

Young people with depression, especially those of underserved minority groups, avoid treatment due to stigma and discrimination. 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 people with depression. The videos vary by protagonist race/ethnicity (Latinx, non-Latinx Black, non-Latinx White) who share their experiences with depression, challenges, and recovery process. The investigators would like to test the efficacy of these videos using Prolific (a crowdsourcing platform). Specifically, the investigators are interested in conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of these videos as compared to a vignette control condition on reducing self-stigma and increasing help-seeking intentions and behavior at baseline, post, and 30 day follow-up among youth with depressive symptom scores on the PHQ-9≥ 5.

## Detailed Description

In a randomized control trial (RCT) with pre-, post-intervention, and 30-day follow-up assessments, we aim to 1) test the efficacy of brief social video interventions, varying protagonist race/ethnicity, as compared to vignette control in reducing self-stigma and increasing treatment-seeking intentions and behavior among 1600 Prolific users ages 18-25 with depressive symptoms (PHQ-9≥ 5), and 2) explore whether matching to protagonist race/ethnicity increases intervention efficacy. We hypothesize that 1) Brief social contact-based video interventions will reduce self-stigma towards depression and increase treatment-seeking intentions and behavior compared to vignette control, and 2) The participants whose race/ethnicity match the protagonist will have greater changes in self-stigma and treatment-seeking than participants with unmatched protagonists, i.e., matching moderates the intervention's effects.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Maximum age:** 25 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Endorsing mild to severe depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score of 5 or greater)
* Ages 18-25
* US Residents
* English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not endorsing mild to severe depressive symptoms
* Age less than 18 or greater than 25
```

## Arms

- **Brief video intervention (Black Woman)** (EXPERIMENTAL) — A brief social contact-based video with a Black woman protagonist
- **Brief video intervention (Latinx Woman)** (EXPERIMENTAL) — A brief social contact-based video with a Latinx woman protagonist
- **Brief video intervention (White Woman)** (EXPERIMENTAL) — A brief social contact-based video with a White woman protagonist
- **Vignette Control** (OTHER) — A brief vignette control condition

## Interventions

- **Brief video intervention (Black Woman)** (BEHAVIORAL) — A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young Black woman in her early twenties, a professional actor, sharing her scripted personal story of struggles as a Black woman with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.
- **Brief video intervention (Latinx Woman)** (BEHAVIORAL) — A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young Latinx woman in her early twenties, a professional actor, sharing her scripted personal story of struggles as a Latinx woman with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.
- **Brief video intervention (White Woman)** (BEHAVIORAL) — A brief social contact-based video. The video presented a young White woman in her early twenties, a professional actor, sharing her scripted personal story of struggles as a White woman with depression and raising themes of recovery and hope.
- **Vignette Control** (BEHAVIORAL) — A brief vignette control condition with a script about a young woman who describes her struggles with depression and raises themes of recovery and hope.

## Primary Outcomes

- **Depression Stigma** _(time frame: Baseline)_ — The Depression Stigma Scale (DSS) is a self-report scale comprised of two 9-item subscales measuring participants' personal beliefs about depression and participants' beliefs about others' attitudes (Griffiths et al., 2004). The current study will only utilize the personal beliefs subscale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Scores range from 9 to 45. Higher scores indicate more stigma.
- **Depression Stigma** _(time frame: Post (immediately after the video or vignette control is shown))_ — The Depression Stigma Scale (DSS) is a self-report scale comprised of two 9-item subscales measuring participants' personal beliefs about depression and participants' beliefs about others' attitudes (Griffiths et al., 2004). The current study will only utilize the personal beliefs subscale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Scores range from 9 to 45. Higher scores indicate more stigma.
- **Depression Stigma** _(time frame: 30 day follow-up)_ — The Depression Stigma Scale (DSS) is a self-report scale comprised of two 9-item subscales measuring participants' personal beliefs about depression and participants' beliefs about others' attitudes (Griffiths et al., 2004). The current study will only utilize the personal beliefs subscale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Scores range from 9 to 45. Higher scores indicate more stigma.
- **Attitude Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help** _(time frame: Baseline)_ — Treatment seeking intentions will be measured using three items from the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) Scale (Elhai et al., 2008). Items include: 'I might want to have psychological counselling in the future', 'I would want to get psychological help if I were worried or upset for a long period of time' and 'A person with an emotional problem is not likely to solve it alone; he or she is more likely to solve it with professional help'. Responses range from 1 (disagree) to 4 (agree). Total scores range from 3 to 12 with higher scores indicating higher treatment seeking intentions.
- **Attitude Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help** _(time frame: Post (immediately after the video or vignette control is shown))_ — Treatment seeking intentions will be measured using three items from the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) Scale (Elhai et al., 2008). Items include: 'I might want to have psychological counselling in the future', 'I would want to get psychological help if I were worried or upset for a long period of time' and 'A person with an emotional problem is not likely to solve it alone; he or she is more likely to solve it with professional help'. Responses range from 1 (disagree) to 4 (agree). Total scores range from 3 to 12 with higher scores indicating higher treatment seeking intentions.
- **Attitude Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help** _(time frame: 30 day follow-up)_ — Treatment seeking intentions will be measured using three items from the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) Scale (Elhai et al., 2008). Items include: 'I might want to have psychological counselling in the future', 'I would want to get psychological help if I were worried or upset for a long period of time' and 'A person with an emotional problem is not likely to solve it alone; he or she is more likely to solve it with professional help'. Responses range from 1 (disagree) to 4 (agree). Total scores range from 3 to 12 with higher scores indicating higher treatment seeking intentions.
- **Treatment related stigma** _(time frame: Baseline)_ — Treatment-related stigma will be measured with the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help scale (SSOSH-3) (Brenner et al., 2021). Items include "I would feel inadequate if I went to a therapist for psychological help," "It would make me feel inferior to ask a therapist for help," and "If I went to a therapist, I would be less satisfied with myself." Response range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 3 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater stigma.
- **Treatment related stigma** _(time frame: Post (immediately after the video or vignette control is shown))_ — Treatment-related stigma will be measured with the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help scale (SSOSH-3) (Brenner et al., 2021). Items include "I would feel inadequate if I went to a therapist for psychological help," "It would make me feel inferior to ask a therapist for help," and "If I went to a therapist, I would be less satisfied with myself." Response range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 3 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater stigma.
- **Treatment related stigma** _(time frame: 30 day follow-up)_ — Treatment-related stigma will be measured with the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help scale (SSOSH-3) (Brenner et al., 2021). Items include "I would feel inadequate if I went to a therapist for psychological help," "It would make me feel inferior to ask a therapist for help," and "If I went to a therapist, I would be less satisfied with myself." Response range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 3 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater stigma.
- **Actual help-seeking** _(time frame: 30 day follow-up)_ — One item will be utilized to measure actual help-seeking: Over the past 30 days, did you contact the mental health referrals we have provided or have sought out mental health treatment elsewhere?

## Secondary Outcomes

- **Emotional engagement** _(time frame: Post (immediately after the video or vignette control is shown))_

## Locations (1)

- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, United States

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.maxAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.arms` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.new york state psychiatric institute|new york|new york|united states` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT06172075.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06172075*  
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