Investigating Dyadic Shared-Decision Making and Behavioral Health Literacy: Social Anxiety
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Authors
Willis, Brendan
Issue Date
2023
Type
Dissertation
Language
Keywords
Behavioral health literacy , E-health , Online intervention , Quality improvement , Shared decision making , Social anxiety
Alternative Title
Abstract
The cost of obtaining healthcare in the United States has escalated dramatically in the past several years, with similar increases in health expenditures. Behavioral health literacy and shared decision-making have emerged as potential solutions to improve care and reduce costs. However, questions remain regarding how to best apply these principles to the context of the parent/adolescent dyad where the adolescent is the patient but not the legal decision maker. To fill this gap, this project had three specific goals. The first was developing and testing a social anxiety-focused website designed to increase behavioral health literacy and shared decision-making for the parent/adolescent dyad. The second goal was to assess the acceptability of the website by seeking specific feedback from the participants. Finally, the Behavioral Health Literacy and Shared Decision-Making Scale, developed in a previous study and adapted for this project, was evaluated for reliability and convergent validity. The study utilized an online pre-post design and recruited a sample of 74 parent-adolescent dyads, of which 97.30% experienced clinically significant social anxiety symptoms. A follow-up survey was conducted with the parents 17 days later to assess behavior changes after interacting with the website. Results were promising, with parents and adolescents reporting statistically significant improvements in their levels of behavioral health literacy and overall willingness to participate in shared decision-making. The website received positive feedback from participants and the new scales performed favorably. These results form an empirical foundation for future investigations into adapting these constructs to the unique needs of the parent/adolescent dyad.