Major Depressive Disorder, RecurrentNCT03899168
Confirmation Bias Towards Treatments of Depressive Disorders in Social Tagging
A study testing Social Tag Popularity, Confidence in Prior Attitudes and Source Credibility in people with Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent and Depressive Episode, run by Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien.
Trial summary
The study examines whether people primarily want to confirm their prior attitudes in health-related information search, in an online environment using social tags for navigation. Participants were looking for information on the treatment of depression with antidepressants and psychotherapy. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, Depressive Episode, Depressive Disorder, Major
- What is being tested?
- Social Tag Popularity, Confidence in Prior Attitudes and Source Credibility
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 520 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 14 Nov 2014to 14 Nov 2014
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Online Population - Internet Browser, Representative Sample of Germans with respect to age and region
Who cannot join
- No Internet Browser
About this study
Official title: How Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Social Tag Popularity, and Source Credibility Shape Confirmation Bias Toward Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in a Representative German Sample: Randomized Controlled Web-Based Study
The study examines whether people primarily want to confirm their prior attitudes in health-related information search, in an online environment using social tags for navigation. Participants were looking for information on the treatment of depression with antidepressants and psychotherapy. They were randomly assigned to two groups with either high or low credibility of the community who provides social tags, and two groups where participants' confidence in prior attitudes was heightened or lowered, and to two groups where either antidepressant tags were more popular or psychotherapy was more popular. The investigators measured attitude change toward the treatments and also navigation behavior.
Read the detailed description
In health-related, Web-based information searches, people should select information in line with expert (vs nonexpert) information, independent of their prior attitudes and consequent confirmation bias.
This study aimed to investigate confirmation bias in mental health-related information searches, particularly (1) if high confidence worsens confirmation bias, (2) if social tags eliminate the influence of prior attitudes, and (3) if people successfully distinguish high and low source credibility.
In total, 520 participants of a representative sample of the German Web-based population were recruited via a panel company. Among them, 48.1% (250/520) participants completed the fully automated study. Participants provided prior attitudes about antidepressants and psychotherapy. The investigators manipulated (1) confidence in prior attitudes when participants searched for blog posts about the treatment of depression, (2) tag popularity -either psychotherapy or antidepressant tags were more popular, and (3) source credibility with banners indicating high or low expertise of the tagging community. The investigators measured tag and blog post selection, and treatment efficacy ratings after navigation.
- Conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, Depressive Episode, Depressive Disorder, Major, Depression
- Being tested
- Social Tag Popularity, Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Source Credibility
- Keywords
- Depression, Mood Disorder, Information Search, Attitudes, Psychotherapy, Antidepressants
- Medical subject headings
- Depressive Disorder, Major, Recurrence, Depression, Mood Disorders, Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Social Tag PopularityOther
The relative size of treatment tags in a tag cloud was either larger for antidepressant treatments or psychotherapy treatments.
Confidence in Prior AttitudesOther
Participants thought back of situations in which they were either confident or doubtful about their own knowledge. This should elicit a mindset where participants are more or less confident about their own prior attitudes.
Source CredibilityOther
The source credibility of the community that allegedly collected and labelled the blog posts was either high or low in terms of expertise. Either experts (high credibility) or first semester students (low credibility) did allegedly collect blog posts. This was indicated by banners on top of the navigation platform in the internet browser.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Social Tag Popularity | Experimental | Popularity of Social Tags (antidepressants more popular vs. psychotherapy more popular) Receives: Other: Social Tag Popularity |
| Confidence in Prior Attitudes | Experimental | Confidence in prior attitudes (high vs. low: recalling situations in which participants were confident or uncertain about their thoughts) Receives: Other: Confidence in Prior Attitudes |
| Source Credibility | Experimental | Credibility of the source (tagging community: experts - many years of professional experience vs. novices - students in the first semester) Receives: Other: Source Credibility |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Attitudinal Preference Score of Psychotherapy over Antidepressants
The investigators constructed a questionnaire to measure the attitudinal preference of psychotherapy over antidepressant treatments of depressive disorders. On a 7-point likert scale, participants rate the degree of efficacy of antidepressant and psychotherapy treatments, on 8 items (e.g. item 1: "Antidepressants/Psychotherapy are/is effective in treating depression."). An index score for the degree of preference of psychotherapy is calculated by subtracting the average antidepressants score from the average psychotherapy treatment rating score for each participant. To analyse if attitudinal preferences predict the number of clicks on social tags and blog posts, the treatment preference score is entered in a logistic regression as predictor. Ratings are inquired at the beginning of the 1 hour study (prior attitudes), and at the end of the study (attitude change).
Measured: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. Prior to and after information search phase in the study.
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment tags
Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant tags can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
Measured: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment blog posts
Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant blog posts can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
Measured: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Apr 2019
- Study start14 Nov 2014
- Primary completion14 Nov 2014
- Study completion14 Nov 2014
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Major Depressive Disorder, RecurrentStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 520 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Stefan Schweiger, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
- Investigators
- Stefan Schweiger, Principal investigator, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03899168
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AG5-2014-11-Tagging
- Status last verified
- Mar 2019
- First submitted
- 27 Mar 2019
- Last updated
- 2 Apr 2019
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual level data will be anonymized and appended to the publication at the Journal of Medical Internet research.
Publications
Schweiger S, Cress U. How Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Social Tag Popularity, and Source Credibility Shape Confirmation Bias Toward Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in a Representative German Sample: Randomized Controlled Web-Based Study. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Apr 23;21(4):e11081. doi: 10.2196/11081.
PubMed 31012865
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Apr 2019. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- How Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Social Tag Popularity, and Source Credibility Shape Confirmation Bias Toward Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in a Representative German Sample: Randomized Controlled Web-Based Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03899168
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AG5-2014-11-Tagging
- Conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, Depressive Episode, Depressive Disorder, Major, Depression
- Keywords
- Depression, Mood Disorder, Information Search, Attitudes, Psychotherapy, Antidepressants
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 520 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Leibniz-Institut für WissensmedienUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 14 Nov 2014 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 Nov 2014 (actual)
- Study completion
- 14 Nov 2014 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Apr 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The study examines whether people primarily want to confirm their prior attitudes in health-related information search, in an online environment using social tags for navigation. Participants were looking for information on the treatment of depression with antidepressants and psychotherapy. They were randomly assigned to two groups with either high or low credibility of the community who provides social tags, and two groups where participants' confidence in prior attitudes was heightened or lowered, and to two groups where either antidepressant tags were more popular or psychotherapy was more popular. The investigators measured attitude change toward the treatments and also navigation behavior.
Detailed description
In health-related, Web-based information searches, people should select information in line with expert (vs nonexpert) information, independent of their prior attitudes and consequent confirmation bias.
This study aimed to investigate confirmation bias in mental health-related information searches, particularly (1) if high confidence worsens confirmation bias, (2) if social tags eliminate the influence of prior attitudes, and (3) if people successfully distinguish high and low source credibility.
In total, 520 participants of a representative sample of the German Web-based population were recruited via a panel company. Among them, 48.1% (250/520) participants completed the fully automated study. Participants provided prior attitudes about antidepressants and psychotherapy. The investigators manipulated (1) confidence in prior attitudes when participants searched for blog posts about the treatment of depression, (2) tag popularity -either psychotherapy or antidepressant tags were more popular, and (3) source credibility with banners indicating high or low expertise of the tagging community. The investigators measured tag and blog post selection, and treatment efficacy ratings after navigation.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Social Tag Popularity | Experimental | Other: Social Tag PopularityPopularity of Social Tags (antidepressants more popular vs. psychotherapy more popular) |
| Confidence in Prior Attitudes | Experimental | Other: Confidence in Prior AttitudesConfidence in prior attitudes (high vs. low: recalling situations in which participants were confident or uncertain about their thoughts) |
| Source Credibility | Experimental | Other: Source CredibilityCredibility of the source (tagging community: experts - many years of professional experience vs. novices - students in the first semester) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Online Population - Internet Browser, Representative Sample of Germans with respect to age and region
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- No Internet Browser
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Social Tag PopularityThe relative size of treatment tags in a tag cloud was either larger for antidepressant treatments or psychotherapy treatments. | Other | Social Tag Popularity |
| Confidence in Prior AttitudesParticipants thought back of situations in which they were either confident or doubtful about their own knowledge. This should elicit a mindset where participants are more or less confident about their own prior attitudes. | Other | Confidence in Prior Attitudes |
| Source CredibilityThe source credibility of the community that allegedly collected and labelled the blog posts was either high or low in terms of expertise. Either experts (high credibility) or first semester students (low credibility) did allegedly collect blog posts. This was indicated by banners on top of the navigation platform in the internet browser. | Other | Source Credibility |
Primary outcome
Attitudinal Preference Score of Psychotherapy over Antidepressants
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. Prior to and after information search phase in the study.
The investigators constructed a questionnaire to measure the attitudinal preference of psychotherapy over antidepressant treatments of depressive disorders. On a 7-point likert scale, participants rate the degree of efficacy of antidepressant and psychotherapy treatments, on 8 items (e.g. item 1: "Antidepressants/Psychotherapy are/is effective in treating depression."). An index score for the degree of preference of psychotherapy is calculated by subtracting the average antidepressants score from the average psychotherapy treatment rating score for each participant. To analyse if attitudinal preferences predict the number of clicks on social tags and blog posts, the treatment preference score is entered in a logistic regression as predictor. Ratings are inquired at the beginning of the 1 hour study (prior attitudes), and at the end of the study (attitude change).
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment tags
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.
Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant tags can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment blog posts
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.
Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant blog posts can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Apr 2019.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 31012865Schweiger S, Cress U. How Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Social Tag Popularity, and Source Credibility Shape Confirmation Bias Toward Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in a Representative German Sample: Randomized Controlled Web-Based Study. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Apr 23;21(4):e11081. doi: 10.2196/11081.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual level data will be anonymized and appended to the publication at the Journal of Medical Internet research.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Stefan Schweiger principal investigator
Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Social Tag Popularity, Confidence in Prior Attitudes and Source Credibility in people with Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent and Depressive Episode, run by Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Apr 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Attitudinal Preference Score of Psychotherapy over Antidepressants (time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. Prior to and after information search phase in the study.). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03899168, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Apr 2019.