April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: #blackmentalhealthmatters: A Content Analysis Exploring the Representation of Black Mental Health on TikTok
Background and Context: Historically, Black people encounter challenges seeking mental healthcare. Issues of discrimination, historical experiences of abuse in the medical system, and lack of culturally competent mental health care impact the desire to seek mental health services. In order to address the mental health disparities that exist among Blacks and African-Americans in comparison to other racial groups requires an exploration of the intersectional factors that contribute to these challenges. Effective communication is essential in the diagnosis of mental health issues and the development of interventions. Understanding the Black community's cultural nuances and priorities regarding mental health is an integral starting point. With the growing use of social media applications such as TikTok, social media is an avenue to understand cultural representations. This research aims first to explore the prominent themes in Black mental health-related videos and, secondly, assess the presence of role modeling appeals in the video and the engagement of audiences.
Methods and Procedures: A mixed-method content analysis of 100 TikTok videos was conducted. To obtain the sample, the commercial website scraper Octoparse was used to collect metadata from posts under the top two mental health-related hashtags, #blackmentalhealth and #blackmentalhealthmatters. Metadata related to the posts included a link to the original post, likes, and user information such as follower count. Videos were downloaded and transcribed. Data was collected in October 2023.
Analysis: To address the first research question, qualitative thematic analysis was conducted following guidelines from Braun and Clarke (2006). Theoretical constructs of the motivational theory of role modeling (Morgenroth, Ryan & Peters, 2015) informed the development of a codebook to address the second research question.
Results: The first research question asked about the most prominent themes featured under the hashtags. Preliminary themes identified include intentional efforts to create online safe spaces and communities, breaking stereotypes about mental health, advocating for the need for representation, and illustrating the impact of socio-cultural environment on mental health. The second research question focused on assessing the presence of the theoretical constructs of the motivational theory of role modeling and audience engagement with the content. Role modeling appeals were prevalent in the data, with the primary constructs which are; aiming to inspire, modeling behavior, and revealing the possible being present in various videos. Sharing personal stories and expert opinions were present as creators shared their knowledge with audiences.
Conclusion: The experiences of the Black community surrounding mental health issues are often neglected or misrepresented. This study provides insight into the unique experiences of the Black community as they navigate mental health issues while dealing with compounded trauma. These results can inform more culturally competent mental health communication practices and possibly guide interventions that acknowledge the impact of socio-cultural factors on mental health.
Methods and Procedures: A mixed-method content analysis of 100 TikTok videos was conducted. To obtain the sample, the commercial website scraper Octoparse was used to collect metadata from posts under the top two mental health-related hashtags, #blackmentalhealth and #blackmentalhealthmatters. Metadata related to the posts included a link to the original post, likes, and user information such as follower count. Videos were downloaded and transcribed. Data was collected in October 2023.
Analysis: To address the first research question, qualitative thematic analysis was conducted following guidelines from Braun and Clarke (2006). Theoretical constructs of the motivational theory of role modeling (Morgenroth, Ryan & Peters, 2015) informed the development of a codebook to address the second research question.
Results: The first research question asked about the most prominent themes featured under the hashtags. Preliminary themes identified include intentional efforts to create online safe spaces and communities, breaking stereotypes about mental health, advocating for the need for representation, and illustrating the impact of socio-cultural environment on mental health. The second research question focused on assessing the presence of the theoretical constructs of the motivational theory of role modeling and audience engagement with the content. Role modeling appeals were prevalent in the data, with the primary constructs which are; aiming to inspire, modeling behavior, and revealing the possible being present in various videos. Sharing personal stories and expert opinions were present as creators shared their knowledge with audiences.
Conclusion: The experiences of the Black community surrounding mental health issues are often neglected or misrepresented. This study provides insight into the unique experiences of the Black community as they navigate mental health issues while dealing with compounded trauma. These results can inform more culturally competent mental health communication practices and possibly guide interventions that acknowledge the impact of socio-cultural factors on mental health.