A short, animated storytelling video to reduce addiction stigma: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Q1 Psychology

Addictive Behaviors Reports Pub Date : 2025-06-17 DOI:10.1016/j.abrep.2025.100622

Maxwell Klapow , Misha Seeff , Maya Adam , Merlin Greuel , Daniel Hoffman , Jessica R. Rogge , Andrew Gordon , Till Bärnighausen , Doron Amsalem

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background and aims

Public stigma towards people with addiction negatively impacts help-seeking, treatment and recovery. This pilot study tested the feasibility of conducting a large-scale, online trial to measure the effect of a short, animated storytelling (SAS) stigma reduction video, with and without soundtrack, on addiction stigma, optimism, warmth towards people with addiction, and hopefulness at two timepoints (immediately post-exposure and 14 days later).

Design

We used a parallel group, three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Setting

We conducted this fully online study on the Prolific Academic research platform (participant recruitment) and the Qualtrics survey platform (data collection).

Participants

We recruited 631 English-speaking adult participants, aged 18–49, residing in the United States.

Interventions

Intervention group A received the SAS video intervention. Intervention group B group received the SAS video intervention without sound. The control group received written information about global addiction prevalence, estimated to be time-equivalent with the video interventions.

Measurements

We measured participant retention rate at the two-week follow-up to determine the feasibility of conducting the definitive trial. Our co-primary outcomes were addiction stigma, optimism, warmth towards people with addiction and hopefulness, measured using an abbreviated 18-item version of the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-18), the Brief García’s Interactive Optimism Scale (BIOS-G), a stigma thermometer and a visual analogue scale (VAS). We used repeated-measures ANOVA to assess group-by-time interactions and compared changes from baseline to post-intervention. Participants completed follow-up surveys 14 days post-intervention.

Findings

The retention rate from baseline to follow-up was 88.0 %. Exposure to both the video with sound and without sound resulted in significant positive changes compared to the control group, for pity [F (4,1046) = 3.26, η² = 0.012, p = 0.011], willingness to help [F (4,1046) = 8.48, η² = 0.031, p < 0.001], dangerousness [F (4,1046) = 2.95, η² = 0.011, p = 0.019], avoidance [F (4,1046) = 4.25, η² = 0.016, p = 0.002], as well as optimism [F (2,595) = 7.7, η² = 0.014, p < 0.001], warmth toward people with addiction [F (2,594) = 6.5, η² = 0.014, p = 0.002], and hopefulness [F (2,594) = 5.4, η² = 0.013, p = 0.005]. No effects were observed for fear or blame stigma sub-scales. These effects were no longer visible at follow-up in this pilot sample. No significant differences were observed between the video with sound and the video without sound.

Conclusions

This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of proceeding with our registered, largescale, multi-country, online RCT. The significant effect observed in a relatively small pilot population, after a single exposure to this 2.5 min SAS intervention aimed at reducing addiction stigma, was unanticipated and is worthy of highlighting. A larger sample size will adequately power the full trial to detect both immediate effects and their potential durability over time, in various global settings.

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一个简短的动画故事视频，以减少成瘾的耻辱：一项随机对照试验

背景和目的公众对成瘾者的耻辱感对寻求帮助、治疗和康复产生负面影响。本初步研究测试了进行大规模在线试验的可行性，以衡量在两个时间点（接触后立即和14天后），一个简短的动画故事（SAS）减少耻辱视频（有和没有配乐）对成瘾耻辱、乐观、对成瘾者的温暖和希望的影响。我们采用平行组，三组随机对照试验（RCT）。我们在高产学术研究平台（参与者招募）和Qualtrics调查平台（数据收集）上进行了这项完全在线的研究。参与者我们招募了631名说英语的成年参与者，年龄在18-49岁，居住在美国。干预A组采用SAS视频干预。干预组B组采用无声音SAS视频干预。对照组收到了关于全球成瘾流行的书面信息，估计与视频干预的时间相当。我们在两周的随访中测量了参与者的保留率，以确定进行最终试验的可行性。我们的共同主要结果是成瘾耻辱感、乐观、对成瘾者的温暖程度和希望程度，测量方法包括一个简短的18项归因问卷（AQ-18）、简要García互动乐观量表（BIOS-G）、耻辱感温度计和视觉模拟量表（VAS）。我们使用重复测量方差分析来评估各组按时间的相互作用，并比较从基线到干预后的变化。参与者在干预后14天完成了随访调查。从基线到随访的保留率为88.0%。与对照组相比，播放有声音和无声音的视频，对同情[F (4,1046) = 3.26, η2 = 0.012, p = 0.011]，帮助意愿[F (4,1046) = 8.48, η2 = 0.031, p <；0.001],危险[F(1046) = 2.95,η2 = 0.011,p = 0.019),避免(F(1046) = 4.25,η2 = 0.016,p = 0.002),以及乐观(F(2595) = 7.7,η2 = 0.014,p & lt;0.001],温暖对成瘾的人[F(2594) = 6.5,η2 = 0.014,p = 0.002),和期待(F(2594) = 5.4,η2 = 0.013,p = 0.005)。没有观察到恐惧或指责耻辱子量表的影响。这些影响在该试点样本的随访中不再可见。在有声音的视频和没有声音的视频之间没有观察到显著差异。该初步研究证明了进行我们的注册、大规模、多国在线随机对照试验的可行性。在相对较小的试点人群中，在单次暴露于旨在减少成瘾耻辱感的2.5分钟SAS干预后，观察到的显着效果是出乎意料的，值得强调。更大的样本量将足以支持整个试验，以检测在各种全球环境下的即时影响及其随时间的潜在持久性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Addictive Behaviors Reports Medicine-Psychiatry and Mental Health

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

71 days

期刊介绍： Addictive Behaviors Reports is an open-access and peer reviewed online-only journal offering an interdisciplinary forum for the publication of research in addictive behaviors. The journal accepts submissions that are scientifically sound on all forms of addictive behavior (alcohol, drugs, gambling, Internet, nicotine and technology) with a primary focus on behavioral and psychosocial research. The emphasis of the journal is primarily empirical. That is, sound experimental design combined with valid, reliable assessment and evaluation procedures are a requisite for acceptance. We are particularly interested in ''non-traditional'', innovative and empirically oriented research such as negative/null data papers, replication studies, case reports on novel treatments, and cross-cultural research. Studies that might encourage new lines of inquiry as well as scholarly commentaries on topical issues, systematic reviews, and mini reviews are also very much encouraged. We also welcome multimedia submissions that incorporate video or audio components to better display methodology or findings.