A readability analysis of online mental health resources

Bibliographic Data

ID8724357
AuthorsDorothy Skierkowski (corresponding author), Dorothy D Skierkowski (0000-0002-1571-6787), Paul Florin, Lisa L Harlow (0000-0001-8001-4178), Jason T Machan (0000-0003-2048-4914, Lifespan), Jason Machan, Yinjiao Ye (0000-0002-1568-8931)
Year2018
Volume74
Issue4
Pages474-483
Publication date2018-10-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Psychologist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-066X • E-ISSN: 1935-990X
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1037/amp0000324
PMID30299121
OpenAlexW2896676235
LanguageEN
Citations received2

Analyzing the reading grade level of online mental health information is an important first step in ensuring that information is largely accessible by the general public, so as not to perpetuate existing health disparities across socioeconomic groups. The present study systematically examined grade-level readability of mental health information related to various psychiatric diagnoses, obtained from 6 highly utilized mental health websites, using a generalized estimating equations approach. Results suggest that, in general, the readability of mental health information is largely well above the 6th-to-8th grade level recommended by several national health organizations, including the CDC and NIH (Kutner, Greenberg, Jin, & Paulsen, 2006; National Institutes of Health, 2001, 2017), with reading-grade-level estimates from the model ranging from 5.62 to 17.9. Further efforts are required to ensure that writers of online health information do not exacerbate existing health disparities by ignoring these guidelines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Mental health · Psychiatry · Readability · Computer Science · Psychology · Text Readability and Simplification

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