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Table 1 Description of measures and time points administered

From: A cluster randomized controlled trial of an online psychoeducational intervention for people with a family history of depression

Measure

Description of Measure

Baseline*

2-week follow-up

Socio-demographic Questionnaire

Measures sex, age, education level, employment status, marital status, country of birth and language spoken at home.

 

Family History Screen (FHS) [41]

Screens lifetime history of MDD and BD symptoms of the participant and of all first-degree relatives. Lifetime history is based on self-assessment rather than by clinician diagnosis.

 

Intention to adopt, and adoption of, risk reducing strategies (IRR)

8-item scale measuring whether participants intended to or had already: (i) undergone psychological therapy, (ii) been taking regular, moderate-intensity exercise, (iii) been sleeping 7-9 hours per day, (iv) started a low-fat, ‘Mediterranean’ diet, (v) been taking vitamin D, (vi) been ensuring they had sufficient social support, (vii) been trying to adopt optimistic or positive mental attitude, (viii) been developing their spirituality. 5-point response option: 0–Do not intend to in the next 6 months; 1–No, but intend to in the next six months; 2–No, but intend to in the next 30 days; 3–Have already for < 6 months; 4–have for > 6 months”. The 5 items were collapsed into a single dichotomous variable: (0)–no intention to adopt the risk-reducing strategy vs (1,2,3,4)–intend to or have already adopted the risk-reducing strategy.

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) [54]

10-item self-report scale assessing symptoms based on DSM-IV criteria for MDD. 4-point response scale. Max. score = 30. Higher score = more depressive symptoms.

Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination Questionnaire (PDD) [55]

12-item scale measuring perceived social stigma surrounding mental illness. 4-point response scale. Max. score 48. Higher score = more perceived stigma.

Knowledge of Risk Factors and Risk-Reduction Strategies for Depression (KOR)

10-item veridical test, developed for this study, designed to assess knowledge of proven risk factors for developing depression and strategies to reduce risk of developing depression. True/False answer. Max. score = 10. Higher score = more accurate knowledge.

Perceived Risk of Developing Depression and Bipolar Disorder (PR) [56]

4-item scale adapted from a previous study [56]. Two items each pertaining to MDD and BD. The first of these two items measures perceived relative risk of developing the disorder sometime in the future compared to others of the same age and gender (5-point scale; Max. score = 5, higher score = higher perceived risk). In second of two items respondent indicate their perceived % chance of developing the disorder sometime in the future (0-100 VA scale; Max. score = 100; higher score = higher perceived risk)