The Compass Strategy: A Youth Mental Health Awareness Campaign
Author Information
Author(s): Annemarie Wright, Patrick D McGorry, Meredith G Harris, Anthony F Jorm, Kerryn Pennell
Primary Institution: ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne
Hypothesis
Can a community awareness campaign improve mental health literacy and help-seeking behavior among young people?
Conclusion
The Compass Strategy effectively improved mental health literacy and reduced barriers to help-seeking among young people in the target region.
Supporting Evidence
- The campaign significantly increased awareness of mental health campaigns in the target region.
- Self-identified depression rates increased, indicating greater awareness rather than actual prevalence.
- Barriers to help-seeking decreased in the experimental region compared to the comparison region.
Takeaway
This study shows that a campaign can help young people understand mental health better and encourage them to seek help when they need it.
Methodology
The campaign used a quasi-experimental design with a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted before and after the campaign among randomly selected young people.
Potential Biases
The study may have biases related to self-reported measures and the potential influence of concurrent mental health initiatives.
Limitations
Media distribution errors may have led to some campaign materials reaching the comparison region, potentially underestimating the campaign's impact.
Participant Demographics
Young people aged 12–25 years from western metropolitan Melbourne and Barwon regions.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.029
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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