Research Brief
Evaluating Public Awareness Campaigns to Promote Military and Veteran Mental Health
Jan 29, 2020
More than 2.7 million service members have deployed since 2001, and many who return report mental health challenges. This report describes a cross-agency evaluation of four public awareness campaigns that aim to overcome negative perceptions and promote awareness of mental health disorders and their treatment: the Real Warriors Campaign, Make the Connection, National Recovery Month, and awareness materials related to the Veterans Crisis Line.
Analysis of Campaign Scope, Content, and Reach
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More than 2.7 million service members have deployed to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, and many who return report symptoms of mental health disorders, such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and problematic substance use. One deterrent to seeking appropriate treatment is the negative perceptions surrounding mental health disorders and their treatment. Mental health public awareness campaigns have been used as one strategy to combat stigma and promote treatment-seeking. This report describes an evaluation of the scope, content, and dissemination of four public awareness campaigns that aim to overcome negative perceptions and promote awareness of mental health disorders and their treatment, with a focus on military and veteran populations. The evaluated campaigns are the Real Warriors Campaign, Make the Connection, National Recovery Month, and awareness materials related to the Veterans Crisis Line. The purpose of this report is twofold. First, it provides a detailed description of how the evaluation was designed, drawing on a literature review, consultation with campaign staff, and feedback on evaluation design from experts. Second, it contains findings from the cross-agency evaluation of the campaigns' collective efforts. This cross-agency evaluation was conducted to determine progress toward the Obama administration's Cross-Agency Priority Goal of improving mental health outcomes for service members, veterans, and their families — this being the case, the report focuses on campaigns' collective reach and impact. Results and recommendations address four sets of findings related to efficiency and mental health messaging, content of campaign materials, dissemination and reach, and direct connections to care.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Approach to Evaluating Campaigns
Chapter Three
Campaigns Selected for Cross-Agency Evaluation
Chapter Four
Campaign Scope
Chapter Five
Campaign Content
Chapter Six
Campaign Dissemination
Chapter Seven
Key Findings and Recommendations for Improving DoD, VA, and HHS Approaches to Mental Health Public Awareness Campaigns
Appendix A
Literature Review Methods and Recommendations for Evaluating Mental Health Public Awareness Campaigns
Appendix B
Methods to Elicit Expert Feedback on Evaluation Design and Recommendations
Appendix C
Content Analysis Methods and Findings
Appendix D
Methods Used to Analyze Campaign Process Evaluation Data and Findings
Appendix E
Twitter Data Analysis Methods and Findings
Appendix F
Development of a Best-Practices Checklist for Mental Health Public Awareness Campaigns
This research was conducted within the Forces and Resources Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.
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