Evaluation of a Website to Improve Depression Literacy in Parents of Healthy Adolescents

Few young people with major depressive disorder seek professional treatment in time. Concerns about social stigma, confidentiality, and limited knowledge about mental health conditions, such as depression, or mental health services are some of the main barriers to seek treatment. Increasing parents' knowledge about and attitude towards depression and mental health in childhood and adolescence is important to sensitize parents and increase their awareness towards depression and mental health in their children. These aspects might play a crucial role for parents to support their children's mental health, notice potential depressive symptoms in their children, react appropriately and take action if necessary. To address these issues and to contribute to knowledge gain in this target group, we developed an evidence-based website "ich bin alles" with two separate sub-websites for (1) adolescents (https://www.ich-bin-alles.de/) and (2) parents (…../eltern) to improve depression literacy in these groups. To improve depression literacy in parents, the website provides general information for parents about depression in childhood and adolescence (e.g., symptoms, causes, course and treatment of depression). Furthermore, the website provides information about strategies for parents on how to support their children if they are affected by depression and on appropriate prevention strategies; i.e., strategies for promoting mental health (e.g., providing a healthy environment, reducing stress, undertaking positive activities, positive parenting), which are meant to serve as an addition to professional treatments of depression or to promote mental health in adolescents. Target groups of the website are parents of adolescents aged 12 to 18 years with a history of depression, as well as parents of healthy adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Easy access to information about depression would make early recognition of depression more likely and engage parents to help their children to seek help for depression. Since the website targets two different groups, the investigators will evaluate the website accordingly: Target group 1: Parents of adolescents with a major depressive disorder (acute or remitted) Target group 2: Parents of healthy adolescents (without a mental health condition) The current study will focus on target group 2. A study focusing on target group 1 can be found in a separately registered clinical trial on clinicaltrials.gov. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of the website "ich bin alles" (https://www.ich-bin-alles.de/) to improve depression literacy in parents of healthy adolescents without a mental health condition.