Digital Mental Health Care for COVID-19 High-Risk Populations
Condition: Stigma, Social; Help-Seeking Behavior
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be vast, exceeding the
      capacity of mental health services and delaying treatment for people in need, with
      devastating consequences for those affected. Emerging data suggest that frontline health
      workers (e.g. physicians, nurses, EMTs) and essential workers (in industries such as energy,
      and food products and services) face particular risks for mental health problems during and
      after the COVID-19 outbreak.

      To address the unprecedented mental health needs during and as a result of the COVID-19
      pandemic this study will develop and test novel, cost-effective and scalable,
      digitally-delivered mental health interventions, and will test this approach by focusing on
      health care workers and other essential workers.
    

Detailed description: 
      Stigma towards mental health care is a profound obstacle that interferes with individuals
      seeking these services. Research suggests that interventions that are based on social contact
      are the most efficient way to reduce stigma. By combining online video and interactive
      behavioral change modules, this study aims to address stigma and both empower essential
      workers (healthcare and non-healthcare workers) both to seek treatment for mental health
      issues as well as to reduce psychiatric symptoms by increasing social support, facilitating
      sleep hygiene, and maintaining physical exercise. A total of 4,200 members of these high-risk
      groups will be recruited to participate in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the
      efficacy of the intervention.

      The intervention will consist of brief videos in which empowered members of the respective
      high-risk group (presented by actors) share their COVID-19 related mental health problems and
      describe how they were able to confront their mental health problems, which in turn helped
      them seek mental health care. The video will be followed by a short, interactive, digital
      behavioral change module. Within each high-risk group, individuals will first be randomized
      to receive the video (one time), video plus booster (second administration of the video), or
      non-intervention video control.

      The study will randomize participants within each high-risk group into one of three arms:

      1) Video + Behavioral Change Module, with Booster: 2-3-minute video (in which empowered
      members of the respective high-risk group (protagonists) share their COVID-19 related mental
      health problems and describe how they were able to confront their mental health problems,
      which in turn helped them seek mental health care) will be followed by 3-4-minute online
      digital behavioral change modules at days 1 and 14 of the study ("video+booster"); 2) Video +
      Behavioral change modules without Booster: 2-3-minute video will be followed by 3-4-minute
      online digital behavioral change modules at day 1 only ("video"); 3) No Intervention video
      (Control Arm): Participants randomized to this arm will receive video not related to mental
      health ("control"). Following the intervention, the study includes three follow-ups (day 14,
      30, and 90) to examine longer-term effects.
    

Intervention name(s): Video _ behavioral change module
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A short video (primary outcome) that aimed at reducing stigma towards treatments and increasing help seeking intentions.
The behavioral change module (secondary outcome) is aimed at changing behaviors of sleep, exercise and social support.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized Controled Trial
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Other