Creating Depression Public Service Announcements by Collaborating With People With Heightened Depressive Symptomatology

• In Event: Research to Inform the Design of Communication Interventions

Abstract

People with depression are difficult to persuade. This paper provides an example of a mixed methods approach to message development for people with depression. Study 1 participants (N=186) provided reasons to seek help for depression and barriers to seeking help for depression. Qualitative analysis determined 112 reasons to seek help and 124 barriers to seeking help. Study 2 participants (N=214) with heightened levels of depressive symptomatology rated Study 1 reasons and barriers on their attitude function, importance, awareness, and argument strength. These ratings determined the selection of statements used in the creation of depression public service announcements (D-PSAs), which were guided by the functional matching and message-sidedness approaches to message development. Considering the difficulty of persuading people with depression to seek help and the potential for D-PSAs to cause boomerang effects, it is important to develop D-PSAs with careful consideration of how they will be perceived by people with depression.

Authors

• Brianna Alyssa Lienemann, U of Southern California

• Jason T Siegel, Claremont Graduate U