Action Alliance Research: Family, Friends Need More Resources and Support to Help Loved Ones Who Are Struggling with Their Mental Health
May 21 2024 - 9:26AM
Business Wire
New research and toolkit provide critical
resources for increasing 988 usage and access among populations
disproportionately impacted by suicide and their loved ones.
New critical research and communications tools for 988 are now
available from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
(Action Alliance) and its partners. These novel resources are
focused on engaging the trusted messengers that people turn to for
reliable, unbiased information and help when they’re struggling
with their mental health or in crisis.
The latest study from the Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI),
in partnership with the Action Alliance, the Suicide Prevention
Resource Center (SPRC), and supported by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), follows crucial
findings released in late 2023 about the public’s awareness,
perspectives, and current/potential usage of 988, the national
3-digit hotline for mental health resources and suicide
prevention.
In the first phase of research, participants indicated that when
they’re struggling with their mental health or are in crisis, they
most often turn to their spouse/partner, mother, siblings, and
friends for help and advice. These trusted messengers are also
the ones that participants said they would most trust information
on 988 from, indicating their vital role in helping encourage,
recommend, and influence their loved ones/close connections to seek
support through 988.
Key findings from the new 988 mixed-methods research study
specific to trusted messengers found that:
- Approximately half of trusted messengers say they’ve heard of
988. Spouses/partners and friends are more likely to be aware/have
heard of and are somewhat familiar with 988 compared to other
groups.
- When they’ve heard about it, trusted messengers are most likely
to have heard about 988 being available 24/7 and free.
- Most trusted messengers feel 988 is very/extremely valuable
(especially people with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and
Pacific Islander loved ones/close connections).
- The majority of trusted messengers would consider
using/recommending 988 when their loved one/close connection is
struggling or in crisis.
- Of all the reasons to contact 988, trusted messengers would
most consider using 988 to learn how to best support their loved
one/close connection when they’re struggling or in crisis.
- Trusted messengers who are not open to using 988 as a resource
cited a variety of barriers: privacy concerns, potential damage to
relationships, and lack of knowledge.
“Research with trusted messengers enriches our ability to use
broad communications efforts to promote help-seeking and grow
awareness or trust in 988,” said Elizabeth Box, MPH, the project’s
director and senior advisor to the Action Alliance. “These insights
lay a strong foundation for reaching people disproportionately
impacted by suicide and their vital support networks. The Action
Alliance and SPRC are eager to share these valuable tools and
resources with partners nationwide communicating about 988.”
As part of the 988 Formative Research Project’s ongoing efforts,
a toolkit for culturally relevant communications is also available.
This toolkit is a comprehensive guide for brands and mental health
organizations that seek to effectively communicate about the 988
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to trusted messengers of populations
that are disproportionally impacted by suicide. This toolkit offers
insights into key messaging values and principles, as well as
specific messaging strategies tailored for different messenger
cohorts.
“This research shows us that trusted messengers are the crucial
link in encouraging people who are disproportionately impacted by
suicide to reach out to 988. With this research, the findings will
help us better equip and build confidence in trusted messengers as
they support their loved ones and their mental health journey,"
said Derrick Feldmann, Lead Researcher and Managing Director of the
Ad Council Research Institute.
Learn more about the 988 Formative Research at
www.988messaging.org/research or download the report here.
About the National Action Alliance for
Suicide Prevention
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action
Alliance) is the public-private partnership working to advance the
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and make suicide
prevention a national priority. The Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), through the Suicide
Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) grant, provides funding to the
Education Development Center (EDC) to operate and manage the
Secretariat for the Action Alliance, which was launched in 2010.
Learn more at theactionalliance.org and join the conversation on
suicide prevention by following the Action Alliance on Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About the Suicide Prevention Resource
Center (SPRC)
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is the only
federally funded resource center devoted to advancing the
implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
SPRC is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS).
Find up-to-date information, guidance, and tools to support
effective suicide prevention efforts in communities, states, Tribal
settings, health/behavioral health care systems, and other settings
at sprc.org and on X, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Sign up for
the Weekly Spark to receive the latest news, research, and
announcements from SPRC.
About the Ad Council and Ad Council on
Research Institute (ACRI)
The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite
and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and
accelerating change around the most pressing issues in America.
Since the non-profit’s founding, the organization and its partners
in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of
the country’s most iconic social impact campaigns – Smokey Bear, A
Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Love Has No Labels, Tear the
Paper Ceiling and many more. With a current focus on mental health,
gun safety, the opioid epidemic, skill-based hiring and other
critical issues, the Ad Council’s national campaigns encompass
advertising and media content, ground game and community efforts,
trusted messenger and influencer engagement, and employer programs,
among other innovative strategies to move the needle on the most
important issues of the day. To learn more or get involved, visit
AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council's communities on Facebook,
Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and view campaign creative on
YouTube.
The Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI) leverages the Ad
Council’s insight-driven approach to examine some of the most
important social issues of our time. Building upon years of
research expertise, ACRI works with brand, corporate and nonprofit
partners and clients to conduct research to gain a deeper
understanding of the public’s perceptions, attitudes and
willingness to act on social issues; develop and test messaging and
narratives for social good campaigns; help build knowledge on the
role influencers or trusted messengers can play to move the public
to act; and identify key performance indicators for communications
initiatives and the tools through which to measure, assess and
optimize them over time. Learn more about ACRI and our 2022
research agenda here.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240520945389/en/
ACTION ALLIANCE MEDIA CONTACT: Jamie Bertolis, jbertolis@edc.org
AD COUNCIL MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Kostic, ekostic@adcouncil.org