Start of Block: introduction + informed consent consent Dear participant,
First, thank you for your interest in participating in this research project! Before the survey starts, it is important that you are well-informed about the procedure. Therefore, we would like you to read this information letter carefully. Please do not hesitate to ask for clarification about this text or the general procedure. If anything is unclear, the researcher will gladly answer your questions.
1) Goal of the study
What we see is that LGBTQIA+ individuals often run a greater risk of developing mental health issues compared to heterosexual/cisgender individuals. With this study, we therefore aim to investigate whether LGBTQIA+ individuals would accept and use mental health chatbots to improve their mental health.
2) Procedure
First, you will provide demographic information such as age and level of education. We will also ask you about your gender identity and whether you cope with mental health issues. We understand that these are personal questions, which is why you are always free not to answer by clicking on
‘Prefer not to say’. Second, you will be introduced to chatbots in general and mental health chatbots specifically, and subsequently answer some questions about chatbot usage to improve mental health. The whole survey will take approximately 10 minutes of your time. Please note that you will not receive any kind of reward for the completion of this study.
3) Information about the research
As this research is being carried out under the responsibility of the The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), which is part of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), we can guarantee that:
A) Your personal information (about who you are) remains confidential and will not be shared without your explicit consent. Your research data will be analyzed to answer the research question as described above in the goal of this study. Note that further processing of your data is possible, provided that this is compatible with this purpose. Research data published in scientific journals will be anonymous and cannot be traced back to you as an individual. Finally:
1) Completely anonymized data can be shared with other researchers.
2) Completely anonymized data can be made publicly accessible.
B) You can refuse to participate in the research or cut short your participation without having to give a reason for doing so.
4) More information
For more information about the research, you are welcome to contact the researcher Tanja Henkel, tanja.henkel@student.uva.nl, +4915750662443. Should you have any complaints or comments about the course of the research and the procedures it involves as a consequence of your participation in this research, you can contact the designated member of the Ethics Review Board representing ASCoR via ascor‐secr‐fmg@uva.nl. Any complaints or comments will be treated in the strictest confidence.
I hope to have provided you with sufficient information. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your assistance with this research, which I greatly appreciate.
Kind regards, Tanja Henkel
If you would like to participate in the survey, click on "Yes" below. With this you declare: I am 16 years or older. I have read and understood the information. I agree to participate in the study and to use the data obtained with it. I reserve the right to withdraw this consent during the survey without giving any reason. I reserve the right to stop the study at any time I wish.
o
Yes, I participate. (1)o
No, I am not participating. (2)Skip To: End of Survey If Dear participant, First, thank you for your interest in participating in this research project! B... = No, I am not participating.
End of Block: introduction + informed consent
Start of Block: Control Question to exclude heterosexual/cisgender individuals
LGBTQIA+ control Do you consider yourself part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community?
o
Yes (1)o
No (2)o
I don't know. (3)o
I prefer not to say (4)Skip To: End of Survey If Do you consider yourself part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGB... = No
End of Block: Control Question to exclude heterosexual/cisgender individuals
Start of Block: Descriptives
Gender Identity Which of the following most accurately describe your gender identity?
o
Female (1)o
Male (2)o
Non-Binary (3)o
Transgender (4)o
Intersex (5)o
I prefer not to say (6)o
Let me type... (7) ________________________________________________Age What is your age? (Please enter a numerical value, e.g. 27)
________________________________________________________________
Q24 What is the highest degree or level of education you have completed?
o
No schooling completed (8)o
Lower secondary level (first three years of high school or equivalent) (11)o
Upper secondary level (graduated high school or equivalent) (9)o
Vocational training (6)o
Bachelor's or equivalent level (undergraduate degree) (7)o
Master's or equivalent level (e.g. Diploma, Magister, Graduate degree) (3)o
Doctoral or equivalent level (4)o
Other (5) ________________________________________________o
I prefer not to say (10)Control Question Do you feel like you cope with mental health issues?
o
Yes, I receive professional help (e.g. a psychologist) (1)o
Yes, but I do not receive professional help (2)o
No (4)o
I am not sure. (5)o
I prefer not to say (3) End of Block: DescriptivesStart of Block: Previous Experience with Chatbots
Intro chatbots You will first answer some questions about your previous chatbot use. A chatbot is a computer program which resembles a human being and with which you can either chat or speak.
Well-known voice-activated examples are Alexa or Siri, but chatbots can also appear on websites in the form of customer service chats or in smartphone applications, e.g. as mental health chatbots.
The following pictures show examples of chatbots just to give you a better idea.
Source: cawi ai. (2019). Chatbot Development [Picture]. flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184705960@N04/48951479163/in/photolist-2hzF8j4-2hi8Pce-24U2RfW- 2kxWELP-Hrqq13-23CAh8k-2hAa4Pg-QBzQDm-29EnfLQ-RfQDLN-29Eng4y-RvbeoA-2iYRRep-2jqZoeV-2aVSey9- 29iKNmS-2hdmxrr-Jjbfhb-PBqL2v-Wnnt8v-2iJMLiF-2hbjcXS-2iuKt5z-VUkQdJ-2hruzNe-2iDxDcH-2i8j1vd-2j4utrT- 21d3CUy-27ut3wK-2iTFnxJ-UMZBHg-LUA26A-2gMwZjm-2gVrnrX-2gqLWHJ-Zjrb7f-ZbtRBM-2a8JhMW-2h3P8Vo-nUQEu-2ma9rwT-QsLE2R-SHq669-233YUj5-2gE2ZEY-Wtuo4T-2i2mZ9R-adLbLE-2ijhttQ
Page Break
chatbots examples Chatbot "Maya" helps clients to pick the best insurance
source: Lemonade. (2021). Lemonade App in Action [Picture]. Lemonade. https://www.lemonade.com [Screenshot by the author]
Page Break
Q25 Chatbot "Wysa" is trained on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety, stress and depression.
[Screenshot of the Wysa app interface by the author]
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Q11 How often have you used chatbots in the past?
Never (6) Rarely (1-2 times) (7)
Sometimes (3 -10 times) (8)
Often (> 10 times) (9)
Very often (>
20 times) (10) Customer
service chatbots (e.g.
for travel booking, insurances,
online shopping, etc.)
(1)
o o o o o
Healthcare chatbots (e.g.
for medication adherence or mental health issues) (2)
o o o o o
Social messaging chatbots (can be integrated in
messenger services like
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.) (3)
o o o o o
Other (5)
o o o o o
End of Block: Previous Experience with Chatbots
Start of Block: Extended UTAUT
Q7 Now think about a chatbot that would help you improve your mental health, if necessary. This could be an empathetic chatbot that you talk to about general concerns or possible experiences with discrimination based on your sexual orientation/identity, (internalized) homophobia or gender dysphoria (a negative feeling because of a mismatch between one's biological sex and one's gender identity).
It would help you process these negative experiences and, in case you are unsure about how to come out, the chatbot could give you advice on this. Most importantly, the chatbot would provide a
safe space without judgement, so you could speak to someone about concerns you would not want to entrust to a human therapist.
Page Break
Q22 For your better understanding, you can watch this short clip of a mental health chatbot conversation. In case you already have a pretty good idea, you can skip this video.
[Screen recording of the Wysa application by the author]
Page Break
Q8 For the next questions, think about an empathetic chatbot that you could talk to. Please indicate how much you agree/disagree on the following statements.
Strongly Disagree
(1)
Disagree (2)
Slightly Disagree
(3)
Neutral (4)
Slightly Agree (5)
Agree (6)
Strongly Agree (7) I would find such
a mental health chatbot useful in
my daily life. (1)
o o o o o o o
Using such a mental health chatbot would improve my mental health. (2)
o o o o o o o
Using such a mental health chatbot would help me to improve my mental health more quickly. (3)
o o o o o o o
Using such a mental health chatbot improves
my mental well-being. (4)
o o o o o o o
Learning how to use such a mental
health chatbot is
easy for me. (5)
o o o o o o o
My interaction with such a mental health chatbot would be
clear and understandable.
(6)
o o o o o o o
I would find such a mental health chatbot easy to
use. (7)
o o o o o o o
It would be easy for me to become
skillful at using such a mental health chatbot.
(8)
o o o o o o o
23 Please indicate how much you agree/disagree on the following statements.
Disagree (1)
Disagree
(2) Disagree (3)
Neutral (4)
Slightly
Agree (5) Agree (6) Strongly Agree (7) People who
are important to
me think that I should
use such a mental
health chatbot. (9)
o o o o o o o
People who influence my
behavior think that I should use
such a mental health chatbot. (10)
o o o o o o o
In general, my social environment
would support the
use of such a mental
health chatbot. (11)
o o o o o o o
I intend to use such a mental
health chatbot in the future.
(12)
o o o o o o o
I will try to use such a mental
health chatbot in my daily life.
(13)
o o o o o o o
Please click on "Agree"
(21)
o o o o o o o
I plan to use such a mental health chatbot
o o o o o o o
Page Break
Trust & LOP Please indicate how much you agree/disagree on the following statements.
frequently.
(14)
Strongly Disagree
(1)
Disagree (2)
Slightly Disagree
(3)
Neutral (4)
Slightly
Agree (5) Agree (6) Strongly Agree (7) Such a
mental health chatbot is dependable.
(15)
o o o o o o o
Such a mental health
chatbot is
reliable. (16)
o o o o o o o
Overall, I can trust such a mental health
chatbot. (17)
o o o o o o o
I am concerned that such a mental health
chatbot will collect too
much personal information from me. (18)
o o o o o o o
I am concerned that such a mental health
chatbot will share my personal information
with other entities without my authorization.
(20)
o o o o o o o
I am concerned that such a mental health
chatbot will use my personal information
for other purposes without my authorization.
(19)
o o o o o o o
End of Block: Extended UTAUT
Start of Block: Willingness to Self-disclose
WSDItems Please indicate how much you agree/disagree on the following statements.
Strongly Disagree
(1)
Disagree (2)
Slightly Disagree
(3)
Neutral (4)
Slightly
Agree (5) Agree (6) Strongly Agree (7) I feel I could
share personal information
about myself with
such a mental health chatbot. (1)
o o o o o o o
I feel I would be comfortable
sharing personal information
with such a mental
health chatbot. (2)
o o o o o o o
I feel it would be
easy to share personal information
with such a mental
health chatbot. (3)
o o o o o o o
I feel that I could be open during
a conversation
with such a mental
health chatbot. (4)
o o o o o o o
End of Block: Willingness to Self-disclose
Start of Block: Anonymous data collection
ADC Almost done! Before submitting your data, please confirm your participation once more. Please note that, as data is collected anonymously, it cannot be deleted after submission.
o
By clicking this box, I agree to participate in this study and to submit my data for analysis. (1)o
By clicking this box, I don’t agree to participate in this study and submit my data for analysis.(2)
End of Block: Anonymous data collection
Appendix B
Recruitment Text Used for Social Media Channels Hello beautiful people!
Do you want to help the LGBTQIA+ community tackle mental health issues?
Then participate in my research study which I am conducting as part of my master's thesis during the Communication Science program at the University of Amsterdam.
https://uvacommscience.eu.qualtrics.com/.../SV...
What? My topic is the acceptance of mental health chatbots among the LGBTQIA+ community. What we observe is that members of the LGBTQIA+ community are more prone to develop mental health issues compared to heterosexual/cisgender individuals. At the same time, mental healthcare might not be accessible to everyone who needs help, or individuals might hesitate due to feelings of shame, stigma or anxiety. Chatbots can nowadays be trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and provide valuable support, especially to those who look for a non-judgemental, anonymous and always accessible space to disclose their worries. Or to those, who feel hesitant or ashamed to share their feelings with a human therapist or who might not even have access to a psychologist in the first place.
The survey will take not more than 10 minutes and would help not only me with my master thesis but hopefully the whole LGBTQIA+ community by providing appropriate and accessible healthcare Thank you in advance!