Title : Applied theatre arts as a tool to increase depression literacy in adolescents: Lessons learned from a mixed-method pilot study
Abstract:
Adolescent depression has increased sharply over the past decade, exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (Thapar, et al. 2022, Branje & Morris, 2021; Golberstein et al., 2020). Depression literacy can be used as a tool to mitigate the consequences of depression (Beaudry, et al 2019). Low depression literacy causes hesitancy in seeking help for depressive symptoms due to the stigma associated with mental illness (Zhong, et al, 2021). This delay exacerbates the effects of depression and further impede the quality of life of the depressed (Curran, et. Al, 2023). Depression literacy is a protective factor that must be utilized to develop interventions for adolescents.
Involvement in extracurricular activities can lead to lower rates of depression and other negative mental health states (LaForge-Mackenzie, et al., 2022; Bernasco et al., 2021; Magson et al., 2020, Steiner, et., al, 2019). Adolescents who participated in theatre arts as an extra-curricular activity reported increased levels of self-esteem, self -confidence, belonging, and lower rates of risky behaviors (Quek et al., 2021; Fancourt, 2019).
Moreover, involvement in theatre arts can reduce health-related stigma (Bernasco et al., 2021). The Unified Theory of Behavior highlights the importance of mental health literacy and therefore postulates that knowledge, skills, and abilities are important precursors to behavioral change and must be integrated into the design of interventions (Hart et al., 2014).
Previous studies have used educational campaigns to increase depression literacy but did not employ novel or creative strategies to do so (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2018; Beaudry et al., 2019). Applied theatre arts and arts integration have been used for a myriad of academic and public health topics such as mathematics (Jeronimo, 2019), science (Madden, et al., 2022), history (Anderson, 2017), and nutrition and healthy eating (Tympa, et al., 2019), sexual and reproductive health (Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre, 2018) and among vulnerable populations (Theatre Lab, 2019). Scant attentions have been paid to the prospects of applying theatre arts to increase depression literacy as a function of decreasing depression in adolescents. The current talk discusses the lessons learned from using applied theatre arts in this fashion.
Audience Take Away Notes:
• Describe lessons learned from a mixed-methods pilot study using theatre arts as a delivery tool for depression literacy.
• Describe the benefits of using novel strategies in intervention development.
• Describe future use-case of novel interventions for health and social justice.
• Describe protective factors (and motivations) for positive mental health outcomes in adolescents.
