JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Among those living with mental illness, 81% of African American (AA) young adults do not seek treatment compared to 66% of their White counterparts. Though the literature has identified unique culturally related factors that impact help seeking among AAs, limited information exists regarding the development and evaluation of interventions that incorporate these unique factors. The purpose of this study protocol is to: develop a culturally relevant, theory based, psychoeducational intervention for AA college students; determine if exposure to the intervention impacts their willingness to seek help (WTSH); and determine whether cultural factors add to the prediction of WTSH. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and a framework for intervention cultural adaptation were used as guiding frameworks. In Stage 1 (Information Gathering) a literature review and 3 focus groups were conducted to identify salient cultural beliefs. Utilizing these results, the intervention was designed in Stage 2 (Preliminary Adaptation Design) and in Stage 3 (Preliminary Adaptation Tests), the intervention was tested using pre-test, post-test and 3-month follow-up surveys. An experimental, mixed-methods, prospective one-group intervention design was employed and the primary outcomes were participants’ WTSH and actual help-seeking behavior. Findings from this research are expected to improve clinical practice by providing empirical evidence as to whether a culturally relevant psychoeducational intervention is useful for improving help-seeking among young AAs. It will also inform future intervention development by identifying factors related to WTSH. Advancing this field of research may facilitate improvements in help-seeking behavior among AA young people and reducing associated mental health disparities.