Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Direct-to-Consumer Marketing Video About Patients' Right to Evidence-Based Mental Health Care

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of a direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing video designed to educate the public about patients' rights to evidence-based mental health care (EBMHC). Participants (N = 632) were randomly assigned to an active DTC video condition, a control video condition, or a control condition without a video. Participants who watched the DTC video (vs. both control conditions) had significantly greater knowledge of patients' rights to EBMHC. Further, individuals who watched the DTC (vs. control) video reported significantly greater comfort with accessing care and perceived their assigned video as significantly more culturally sensitive. However, participants who watched the DTC video were not significantly different from both control conditions on self-report measures of self-efficacy in working with a provider, likelihood of asking a provider about one's rights, treatment-seeking intentions, and self-stigma. Findings suggest the potential for a DTC video to promote knowledge of EBMHC, though its impact on help-seeking perceptions and intentions was less promising.