We Hear-t You: a communication campaign cultivating confidence in parents to initiate mental health conversations with their youths

• Main Authors: Ang, Jin Hui, Lim, Yan Tong, Ong, Ling Xuan, Nur Irsyad Bin Abu Bakar
• Other Authors: Kay (Hye Kyung) Kim
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication::Communication theories and models
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165290
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

We Hear-t You is a communication campaign aimed at cultivating confidence in parents to initiate mental health conversations with their youth. Youths are the most susceptible to mental illness, yet among those who had experienced a mental disorder in their lifetime, a staggering 75% of them did not seek mental health treatment. Thus, this campaign targets parents with youths, aged 13-18, as the parental role has been identified as a crucial factor that influences youth mental health. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the insights gathered from our formative research, the campaign employed a two-phase approach (a) Reflecting In and (b) Reaching Out, with the objective of prompting parents to reflect on their relationship with their youths and their youth’s mental health, and subsequently overcoming the barriers associated with initiating mental health conversations. The campaign employed several tactics, including social media strategies, a series of photo stories, a letter-writing initiative and a parent-expert group workshop. These initiatives aimed to equip parents with mental health knowledge and empower them to initiate mental health conversations with their youths. The campaign was successful in improving intention and behavioural adoption. Over the 13-week period, the campaign generated substantial online traction with a total reach of 710,308 and 635 followers on the We Hear-t You Facebook page. This paper details a comprehensive analysis of the campaign process from development to evaluation, with recommendations to guide future campaigns and studies on mental health conversations between parents and youths in Singapore.