The acceptability of a culturally-tailored depression education videotape to African Americans

The aim of this project was to determine the acceptability and usefulness of an educational videotape for African Americans with depression. Four focus groups were held in two community settings and at a historically black university. Subjects included 24 African Americans, aged 18-76 years, who screened positive for depression. Focus group questions addressed the usefulness of the videotape to understand depression and its treatment, the most and least effective parts of the videotape, and the cultural appropriateness of the information presented. Participants took pre- and post-tests on attitudes about depression. Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and reviewed independently by two investigators to identify and group comments into specific themes. Two other investigators reviewed the themes and comments for consistency and relevance. The videotape was generally well received and was rated effective in improving knowledge about depression and its treatment. After watching the videotape, attitudes improved in several areas, including depression as a medical illness, effectiveness of treatment, negative perceptions of antidepressant medication and reliance upon spirituality to heal depression. This culturally tailored videotape about depression is deemed acceptable and effective for most African Americans with depression participating in focus groups. It also improved knowledge and several attitudes about depression.