JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Digital stories – first-person, self-made, 2-3-minute videos – generate awareness, impart knowledge, and promote understanding around topics like mental illness. Digital stories are a narrative-based art form often created by individuals without formal training in filmmaking to relate personal experiences. Somewhat like digital narratives, video testimonies created within the social marketing or fundraising campaigns of government agencies and private or public corporations aim to reduce the stigma of mental illness while supporting research and services. In video testimonies personal stories are captured on camera by professional filmmakers. Sharing critical life events greatly benefits tellers and listeners alike, supporting catharsis, healing, connectiveness, and citizenship.

Objective:

The proposed study explores digital stories and video testimonies featuring mental illness and recovery in their ability to elicit empathy and compassion while reducing stigma among viewers.

Methods:

Using mixed methods, Phase 1 will involve a search of Canadian social marketing activities and fundraising campaigns concerning mental illness and recovery while organizing digital storytelling workshops in which participants create digital stories about their own experiences of mental illness and recovery. During Phase 2, a pilot randomized controlled trial will be undertaken to compare marketing and fundraising campaigns versus digital stories for their impact on viewers.

Results:

Ethics approval was received in March 2021.Data on feasibility of the study design and results of the controlled trial will be generated. This study will produce new knowledge on effective ways of promoting mental health awareness and decreasing stigma with practical importance for future social marketing and fundraising campaigns. Anticipated time to completion within the two-year study period includes nine months for Phase 1 (preparation), eleven months for Phase 2 (feasibility assessment and data collection: RCT) and two months for Phase 3 (knowledge dissemination).

Conclusions:

The knowledge generated will have practical implications for the public and for future social marketing and fundraising campaigns promoted by government agencies as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations by enhancing our understanding of how individuals and societies respond to stories of suffering and what prompts citizens to help others. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04881084