Exploring Trivialisation of Mental Health Issues using Internet Memes in Young Adults

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to explore the perceived sensitivity towards mental health issues in young adults using internet memes showcasing those mental health issues and to investigate whether providing sensitising information through video intervention would have an impact on perceived sensitivity. The definition of Internet Meme was operationalised as a visual representation that recontextualizes references from popular culture in a funny or satirical manner. A total sample of 245 was collected using a snowball method of sampling from the age group of 18-22 years old individuals who were residents of India. A two-group experimental design was followed. Experimental group was administered an intervention (video) followed by a web questionnaire which measured perceived sensitivity towards four mental health issues – Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders and Suicide using a Likert rating scale. The control group was only administered the web questionnaire. After scoring the responses, the data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney U test). Results showed that the experimental group had higher perceived sensitivity on the dimensions of Anxiety, Eating Disorders and Suicide than control group. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the dimension of Depression. These findings indicated that the designed intervention used to sensitise the participants was effective for all dimensions except Depression. Limitations and future implications were discussed.