Adolescent Interview Discussion Guide

Attachment 4: Adolescent Interview Discussion Guides

OMB Control No. 0920-1154

Exp. Date 3/31/2026

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	INTERVIEW INTRODUCTIONS (2 min.)
	Interviewer: Hi, thank you for joining us! My name is [insert Member Name] and I am a part of the Deloitte Team working with the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Our team is working to better understand the experiences of teens living in rural areas across the United States, with a focus on girls and nonbinary teens. Your feedback will help CDC develop tools for teen mental health in the future. We know there is a growing number of teens impacted by mental health challenges, and the heart behind this effort is to try to better understand those experiences and make a positive difference. This is meant to be an informal conversation. We are hoping to hear from you about how teens think about mental health and find and use mental health tools. Before we get started, I would also like to introduce you to my teammate(s), [insert team member name(s)], who is here to take general notes of our conversation. Please know that nothing that you share will be attached to your name. We will not share what you say with your parents/guardians, but if you report that you are a danger to yourself or others, we will take steps to make sure you are safe. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please let us know now (pause). For your privacy, please only refer to yourself by your first name or a fake name. If there is any question you do not want to answer, you can always say “pass” or “skip.” Your safety is important to us, so if at any point you would like to stop the interview, you are welcome to do so. If you would like to stop the session, [let anyone on our project team know]. As a reminder, you will be sent a $50 Visa gift card for your time. [Only read if virtual] If you have not already, please rename yourself on Zoom so that your profile only shows your first name or a fake name. To update your name: 1. Click “Participants” at the bottom of your screen 2. Hover over your name in the Participants list > Click the button with three dots. 3. Select “Rename” from the list 4. Enter your first name or a fake name only [Read for both session types] Again, your answers to these questions will be combined with all other participant answers, and there will be no way to tell who you are from the responses. We are recording the audio of these conversations for note taking purposes only, and the recordings will be destroyed after the project ends. Can you confirm you are okay with our team audio recording this session? This interview will take 60 minutes to complete. Before we jump in, let’s cover a few “Rules of the Road” to guide our session. Be present: Unplug, Turn off, Tune in – limit distractions by saving phone notifications for after this session. Get Real: Bring your authentic self – be personal, connected, and real. We want to hear your honest thoughts today, and truly value your opinions. More is…more!: Share as many ideas as you can think of for each question. There is no such thing as a “wrong” answer today, and we want to hear all the ideas you have – even the wild ones! Be adventurous: This is meant to be a creative, interactive session. Feel free to use the format that works best for you – respond verbally, [use sticky notes, or draw], [type in chat or annotate with text] as you respond. [Only read if virtual] If you are participating on your computer today, you’ll also have the option to annotate the screen using stamps or text during the session. As a reminder on how to annotate, you should see a green bar at the top of your screen that says “You are viewing [Insert Team Member Sharing Screen Name] screen.” Here, you should see a button that says, “View Options.” Click the ‘down’ arrow next to “View Options” and the Annotate button will appear. Click “Annotate” and this menu will pop up. Hover over the stamp button and select the “X” stamp. Practice stamping your “X” anywhere on this slide. You can drop ideas or responses into the chat anytime as well during the session! To access the Zoom chat, select the button with a speech bubble that reads “Chat” as shown here on the screen. Great, thank you for practicing that! [Read for both session types]: If you have any other questions during today’s session, please let us know. Do you have any questions before we begin?
	GENERAL RAPPORT BUILDING (3 min.)
	Question 1 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)		To start, can you introduce yourself with your first name or a fake name and tell us what you like to do for fun? [Probing Questions]: Do you play any sports or have any hobbies? Do you feel like you have time in your schedule to do these things often? What is something you like to do to relax? What do you like to do with your friends or family?
IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION (~55 min.)
Question 2 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			Take a minute to reflect before sharing your thoughts. In a few words, what does “mental health” mean to you? Feel free to jot down ideas [using the sticky notes provided OR using the annotation feature to type on the sticky notes or in the chat] and/or verbally share anything that pops into your head. All ideas are welcome and there is no “right” or “wrong” answer. [Probing Questions]: What do you do to take care of your mental health? What is an example of how you take care of yourself that makes you proud? Do you think any of your friends might think about mental health differently than you do? How so? [Clarification, If Needed]: “Mental health” can mean different things to different people, and today we are talking about both positive and negative mental health. “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.”i
Question 3 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			Similarly, for this next question, take a minute to reflect before sharing your thoughts. In a few words, what does “self-care” mean to you? Again, feel free to use [stickies or annotation/chat] to organize your thoughts! Feel free to jot down or share anything that pops into your head. All ideas are welcome and list as many ideas as come to mind! [Probing Questions]: What are some self-care activities that help you to relax when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Do you think other teens think about self-care differently? How so? What are some self-care activities your friends or people your age do?
Question 4 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			Do others ever share with you about how they are feeling? Who do you feel comfortable talking to about your feelings, whether positive or negative feelings? [Probing Questions]: Can you share an example of something you’ve shared with that person? How easy or hard was it to share that? How do you usually share how you are feeling (text, in-person, social media posts, phone calls)? Why do you share [insert positive or negative] feelings with this [person or group]?
Question 5 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			What would you say are your main responsibilities you have on your plate? [Probing Questions]: Do you have chores or ways you help your family? Are you involved in any community groups?
Question 6 (Approximate time: 5-10 minutes)			For this next question, take two minutes you need before answering, and feel free to jot down ideas as you think. We’ve provided sticky notes for you to use to help organize your thoughts. What, if anything, causes you or your friends to experience stress, worry, sadness, or loneliness? [Only read if in-person] Use the stickies and markers in front of you as you write down ideas. [Only read if virtual] Feel free to annotate the screen using the Text or Stamp feature as you think of ideas. [Read for both session types] Remember there are no “right” or “wrong” answers here and you can list as many that come to mind! [Probing Questions]: How do you know when you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or worried? How do you know if friends are feeling this way? Does anything related to school, family, or friends cause you to feel that way? If nothing, why do you think that is? What situations, environments, or people make you feel that way?
Question 7 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			What would you recommend a friend do when they are feeling stressed, worried, sad, or lonely? [Probing Questions]: Are there resources you might recommend they use or go to? Are there people you or a friend might go to?
Question 8 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			Where do you get advice or ideas to help your mental health or to support others in their mental health? [Probing Questions]: Are there any apps, websites, or chat rooms that you use to seek advice? Are there any people or organizations you go to for advice related to mental health? If someone close to you asks for help in taking care of themselves, what resources do you provide to them?
Question 9 (Approximate time: 10 minutes)			Have you or a friend ever experienced challenges in getting help or support for your mental health? How were you/they able to overcome those challenges? [Probing Questions]: Can you share a little more about that challenge? Do you feel like you have access to the resources you need (i.e., understanding the options and who to go to)? Were you able to overcome those challenges, and if so, how did you overcome them? Is this still a challenge that you or others are facing? [If asked for clarification on “support” or resources]: Mental Health support may include resources such as “how-to” guides, counselors or therapists, or self-care resources.
Question 10 (Approximate time: 10 minutes)			For this next question, we are going to ask you to reflect and think through the prompt: Take two minutes to reflect and write down identities you hold. Identities include many pieces such as who you are in your family or community, where you’re from, what you value, and the relationships you have. How do different identities that you hold affect your mental health experience? Affects could be positive, such as the strong community you may find through those peer groups, or negative, such as unique challenges you may face by holding those identities. Remember, there's no such thing as a wrong answer here. Feel free to jot down or share anything that pops into your head. We value all your thoughts and ideas. [Probing Questions]: Can you provide an example of that experience? Tell me more about that experience. How did you react when you felt that way? Did you tell anyone else about this or go to anyone for help?
Question 11 (Approximate time: 5 minutes)			If you had a magic wand and anything was possible, what would you do to help improve the experience of girls and nonbinary teens in your community? [Probing Questions]: Are there any resources you wish existed?
Question 12 (Approximate time: 3 minutes)			Is there anything we have not asked you about related to these topics that you would like to share?
	Conclusion (1 min.)
	Interviewer: Thank you for your time today and thank you for participating in this interview! Our session is now completed. After today’s session, we will email this list of mental health resources, including national crisis resources and tools to identify a provider if you or someone you know is looking for support. You will also be given a $50 Visa gift card for your time, which will be emailed to you in the coming days. [If the participant is also participating in a brainstorming session] If you are also participating in another session type for this project, you will be contacted by our team again with additional details related to that session. We appreciate your willingness to be a part of this effort!

i About Mental Health (cdc.gov)