However, research is needed to understand adolescents' information needs and their emotional and behavioral responses to health information. Cognitive distortions in depression also offer potential for intervention. This project, part of the Social Health Bots initiative, aims to extract the knowledge needed for future clinical and conversational AI interventions in frontline healthcare.
In this project, we analyzed questions adolescents had about depression submitted to the youth information website ung.no. The analyses aimed to uncover adolescents’ information needs, examine their emotional and behavioral responses to beliefs about depression, and identify common cognitive distortions.
Three qualitative analyses were conducted on adolescents' questions from an online Q&A service, focusing on content, thematic interpretation, and cognitive distortions. Each analysis was published separately, addressing psychoeducation content needs, emotional and behavioral responses, and cognitive distortions.
Key topics included self-management, etiology, and therapy. Cognitive responses revealed themes of hopelessness, therapy hesitancy, and social shame. Cognitive distortions like emotional reasoning, mind reading, and catastrophizing were found, with underlying patterns such as overgeneralizing and struggling to shift from a first- to a third-person perspective.
Understanding adolescents' information needs and cognitive distortions can inform personalized interventions, reduce therapy hesitancy, and address social shame, supporting better coping strategies and early intervention.