Examining the Efficacy of the ReachOut Intervention for Improving Help-Seeking: A Randomized Controlled Trial
About ReachOut Platform
ReachOut is a brief, structured intervention to improve help seeking in individuals experiencing common mental health concerns, particularly depression and anxiety, who are not seeking professional help for the same. The intervention includes psychoeducation and stigma reduction content delivered over WhatsApp, and a motivational enhancement component over a brief telephonic session to encourage professional help-seeking.
Key Study Objectives
- To examine the effectiveness of Reach Out intervention in distressed non-treatment seeking young adults in institutes of higher education as compared to active controls on: a) Improving help seeking inclination, b) Improving help seeking behaviour, c) Reducing barriers to seek professional help and d) Reducing help negation
- To examine implementation outcomes of delivering Reach Out by trained counsellors at institutes of higher education in terms of adoption, reach, acceptability, feasibility and sustainability.
- The above objectives will be addressed in two phases, using two different samples.
Study Design
Phase 1:
A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with an 8-week intervention period per participant. Participants are randomly assigned to either a WhatsApp-delivered intervention group, or personalized feedback only group.
Phase 2:
Title: Implementation of counsellor-delivered, help-seeking intervention for depression in institutes of higher education
Design: Phase two will adopt an implementation research design involving the training of counsellors in Higher Education Institutes to deliver the ReachOut intervention. Implementation outcomes will be evaluated over a two-year period.
Target Group
Adults aged 18 years and above self-report of depressive or anxiety symptoms for at least two weeks and who have not yet sought professional help.
Current Status
Recruitment ongoing
Link to Related Publication
- Barriers to Seek Professional Help for Mental Health Scale: Development and Psychometric Validation
- Development of a Technology-Based Intervention to Improve Help-Seeking in Distressed Non-Treatment-Seeking Young Adults With Common Mental Health Concerns
- “ReachOut”: Pilot Evaluation of a Help-Seeking Intervention for Common Mental Health Concerns Among Distressed Non-Treatment-Seeking Young Adults
- Barriers and Enablers of Professional Help-Seeking for Common Mental Health Concerns: Perspectives of Distressed Non-Treatment Seeking Young Adults
- Factors Influencing Help-seeking Behavior for Mental Health Among Distressed Young Adults: A Path Analysis Model