Investigating the Ways By Which a Global Entertainment Program Impacts the Mental Wellness of Adolescent Viewers: A Randomized Controlled Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND A conflicting corpus suggests that more research is needed to understand how globally watched television shows like 13 Reasons Why could affect the majority and minority of adolescent viewers. OBJECTIVE The current study was designed to investigate adolescents’ viewership of and show-related content engagement with 13RW, Season 3 (13RW-3), paying special attention to mental health outcomes and conversational partners. METHODS AmeriSpeak, a panel-based research platform operated by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, recruited 157 adolescents aged 13 to 17 from its nationally representative pool of participants. After participants completed a survey, they were directed to either watch 13RW-3 as it aired for the first time (intervention group) or NOT to watch 13RW-3 (control group). Approximately one month later, all participants were asked to complete a second survey. RESULTS We found a significant main effect with respect to increased conversations about social and mental health issues that appeared on the show (t(151)=-2.191, P=0.03). From pre- to post-test, the intervention group spoke more frequently about these issues (M=1.28) than the control group (M=.28). In the intervention group only, when asked with whom they discussed 13RW-3 and issues related to the show, friends were the most commonly cited conversational partner, selected by 68.3% of the respondents, followed by parents (50.8%). Viewers also reported significantly higher rates of depression from T1 to T2 (P=0.001, F(1, 66.715)=12.678, B=-0.292, SE=0.082). Depressed youth spoke significantly more to parents (F(3)=3.287, 0=.027), school counselors (F(8)=3.707, p=.002) and mental health professionals than viewers who reported less depression (F(8)=6.536, p<.001). Finally, approximately one-third of viewers sought additional information about bullying and mental health after watching the show. CONCLUSIONS Conversation was the most definitive outcome of watching this show, and we saw that youth are most likely to talk to friends but parents do not trail very far behind. We also discovered that viewers who may have been viscerally impacted by the content reached out for help in unique and powerful ways. Depressed youth spoke to parents and mental health professionals more. Non-heterosexual youth spoke to school counselors, sought information about sexuality, and watched the documentary Beyond the Reasons more. The potential wellness implications are considerable since conversation -- especially story-driven conversation -- can raise awareness, reduce stigma, shift attitudes, normalize/valorize certain behaviors, and strengthen supportive relationships.