Date of Award

August 2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Kris Barnekow

Committee Members

Heidi Plach, Virginia Stoffel, Shirley Jensen

Keywords

Adolescents, Health Literacy, Mental Health, Mhealth, Technology

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the feasibility of delivering a text-based mental health literacy intervention for adolescent children who have family members with mental illness. The effectiveness of the text message intervention was measured using a single subject, multiple baseline study design. Each participant received three text messages per week for a total of 6 weeks, containing information regarding mental illness, managing crisis, resources, stigma, and assertiveness. The subjects were evaluated using qualitative and quantitative measures at multiple periods throughout the study. Assessments utilized include: Schizophrenia Vignette quiz developed by Jorm et. al. (1997), Perceived Stress Scale-14(PSS-14) (Cohen et. al., 1983) , 10-point Likert Scale to measure the quality of the relationship with their loved one, and the Weekly Check-In Script. All 3 participants reported decreased perceived stress, improved or no change in relationship quality, and changes in perceived causes of and treatment for mental illness.

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