We seek to test the efficacy of the Spanish version of the "Catalina" web-app intervention compared to an attention control web-app in reducing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety and motivate women to take action to get help.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
56
Latinas in the experimental group will view a story-based web-app featuring a character named "Catalina" and psycho-therapeutic modules to motivate them to take action and get help for their symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
Latinas in the attention control group will view non-story based media that is informational.
UCLA School of Nursing
Los Angeles, California, United States
Change from baseline in help seeking intention and action
Change from baseline in help seeking intentions will be assessed by the number of participants who expressed interest in, expressed intentions to take action, or reported actually taking help-seeking action (used a resource, called a clinic, made an appointment with a mental health professional, signed up for a support group, or actually attended a group or 1:1 mental health session).
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks
Change attitudes towards seeking psychological services.
Change in individuals' attitudes with respect to seeking psychological services will be assessed with the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMAS). It is a 24 item scale that measures psychological openness to seeking mental health services, help seeking propensity (ability and motivation to seek help), and indifference to stigma (a person's lack of concern of what others might think of their attitude toward seeking professional help). Total scores range from 0 to 96, and higher scores indicate more positive attitudes.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks.
Change in attitudes in mental help seeking.
Change in attitudes about seeking help from a mental health professional will be assessed with the Mental Help Seeking Attitudes Scale (MHSAS) which is a 9-item instrument designed to measure respondents' overall evaluation (unfavorable vs. favorable) of their seeking help from a mental health professional if they found themselves to be dealing with a mental health concern. Total scale scores range from 0 to 63, and higher scores indicate more positive attitudes toward seeking help.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks.
Change in Anxiety
Change in Anxiety will be assessed by the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7) which is a self-report screening and severity measure for generalized anxiety disorder. The seven items correspond to symptoms of anxiety and are summed for a range from 0-21; a score of 10-14 indicates moderate anxiety and scores at or above 15 indicate severe anxiety
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Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks.
Change in Depression
Change in Depression will be assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) which is a self-report assessment of depression. It has been established as a valid diagnostic and severity measure. The eight items correspond to symptom-based diagnostic criteria in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV and are summed for a range from 0-24; a score of 10-14 indicates moderate depression and scores at or above 15 indicate severe depression.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks.