title: Increasing knowledge about depression in adolescents: effects of an information booklet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluates a newly developed information booklet about depression among adolescents. The aim was to examine the enhancement of knowledge through the booklet with the objective of reducing stigma and facilitating awareness of own treatment needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  628 German ninth graders were enrolled in a pre-post-follow-up study using study-specific questionnaires to investigate knowledge enhancement in seven depression-related topics. Exploratively, knowledge enhancement was calculated with respect to education level and gender. Additionally, the students assessed the booklet's layout, content and utility. Knowledge enhancement was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA for index values of the booklet's topics. The effect size partial eta square (η²) was computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pre-post-follow-up comparison yielded significant knowledge enhancement for all seven index values (p < 0.001). The associated effect sizes were medium to large. The strongest effects were achieved for the categories "Antidepressants" (η² = 0.56), "Symptoms" (η² = 0.45) and "Treatment" (η² = 0.17) of depression as well as for "Suicidality" (η² = 0.36). Although baseline knowledge was high in all students, knowledge enhancement was greater in better educated than in less educated students. Overall assessment of the booklet was good (mean = 2.15 on a rating scale from "very good" (1) to "fail" (6)).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The information booklet as a low-threshold educational approach can significantly enhance depression-specific knowledge in students. Hence, it helps adolescents to acknowledge their own symptoms and treatment needs as well as to recognize these specific mental health problems in their peers. Thus, the booklet can contribute to the reduction of stigma and treatment barriers in adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5a, 80336, Munich, Germany, Yvonne.Schiller@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Schiller
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schulte-Körne
authors.forename: Rima
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eberle-Sejari
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Antje-Kathrin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Allgaier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010174:Pamphlets; D057545:Social Stigma; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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