Online screening and feedback to increase help-seeking for mental health problems: Population-based randomised controlled trial

Philip J. Batterham; Alison L. Calear; Matthew Sunderland; Natacha Carragher; Jacqueline L. Brewer

doi:10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001552

Online screening and feedback to increase help-seeking for mental health problems: Population-based randomised controlled trial

Philip J. Batterham^*, Alison L. Calear, Matthew Sunderland, Natacha Carragher, Jacqueline L. Brewer

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background Community-based screening for mental health problems may increase service use through feedback to individuals about their severity of symptoms and provision of contacts for appropriate services. Aims The effect of symptom feedback on service use was assessed. Secondary outcomes included symptom change and study attrition. Method Using online recruitment, 2773 participants completed a comprehensive survey including screening for depression (n=1366) or social anxiety (n=1407). Across these two versions, approximately half (n=1342) of the participants were then randomly allocated to receive tailored feedback. Participants were reassessed after 3 months (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR12614000324617). Results A negative effect of providing social anxiety feedback to individuals was observed, with significant reductions in professional service use. Greater attrition and lower intentions to seek help were also observed after feedback. Conclusions Online mental health screening with feedback is not effective for promoting professional service use. Alternative models of online screening require further investigation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	67-73
Number of pages	7
Journal	BJPsych Open
Volume	2
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001552
Publication status	Published - 2016

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10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001552

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title = "Online screening and feedback to increase help-seeking for mental health problems: Population-based randomised controlled trial",

abstract = "Background Community-based screening for mental health problems may increase service use through feedback to individuals about their severity of symptoms and provision of contacts for appropriate services. Aims The effect of symptom feedback on service use was assessed. Secondary outcomes included symptom change and study attrition. Method Using online recruitment, 2773 participants completed a comprehensive survey including screening for depression (n=1366) or social anxiety (n=1407). Across these two versions, approximately half (n=1342) of the participants were then randomly allocated to receive tailored feedback. Participants were reassessed after 3 months (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR12614000324617). Results A negative effect of providing social anxiety feedback to individuals was observed, with significant reductions in professional service use. Greater attrition and lower intentions to seek help were also observed after feedback. Conclusions Online mental health screening with feedback is not effective for promoting professional service use. Alternative models of online screening require further investigation.",

author = "Batterham, {Philip J.} and Calear, {Alison L.} and Matthew Sunderland and Natacha Carragher and Brewer, {Jacqueline L.}",

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AU - Calear, Alison L.

AU - Sunderland, Matthew

AU - Carragher, Natacha

AU - Brewer, Jacqueline L.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Background Community-based screening for mental health problems may increase service use through feedback to individuals about their severity of symptoms and provision of contacts for appropriate services. Aims The effect of symptom feedback on service use was assessed. Secondary outcomes included symptom change and study attrition. Method Using online recruitment, 2773 participants completed a comprehensive survey including screening for depression (n=1366) or social anxiety (n=1407). Across these two versions, approximately half (n=1342) of the participants were then randomly allocated to receive tailored feedback. Participants were reassessed after 3 months (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR12614000324617). Results A negative effect of providing social anxiety feedback to individuals was observed, with significant reductions in professional service use. Greater attrition and lower intentions to seek help were also observed after feedback. Conclusions Online mental health screening with feedback is not effective for promoting professional service use. Alternative models of online screening require further investigation.

AB - Background Community-based screening for mental health problems may increase service use through feedback to individuals about their severity of symptoms and provision of contacts for appropriate services. Aims The effect of symptom feedback on service use was assessed. Secondary outcomes included symptom change and study attrition. Method Using online recruitment, 2773 participants completed a comprehensive survey including screening for depression (n=1366) or social anxiety (n=1407). Across these two versions, approximately half (n=1342) of the participants were then randomly allocated to receive tailored feedback. Participants were reassessed after 3 months (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR12614000324617). Results A negative effect of providing social anxiety feedback to individuals was observed, with significant reductions in professional service use. Greater attrition and lower intentions to seek help were also observed after feedback. Conclusions Online mental health screening with feedback is not effective for promoting professional service use. Alternative models of online screening require further investigation.

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Online screening and feedback to increase help-seeking for mental health problems: Population-based randomised controlled trial

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