The Youth Aware of Mental Health Intervention: Impact on Help Seeking, Mental Health Knowledge, and Stigma in U.S. Adolescents

Purpose: Chinese international students have been widely reported to lack recognition of their psychological problems and to delay treatment until their symptoms become rather disabling. The present study pioneered to evaluate the effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training in improving mental health knowledge among Chinese-speaking international tertiary students. Method: A quasi-experimental design was adopted, whereby 202 Chinese-speaking international students in Melbourne were assigned to the MHFA condition or a control condition. All participants completed a standardized questionnaire before, at the end, and 3 months after training. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results: The findings demonstrated that MHFA training might be effective in improving participants’ knowledge of mental disorders (i.e., recognition of symptoms, belief in helpful treatments, and understanding the biogenetic and psychosocial causes) and reducing stigma. Conclusions: The MHFA program has the potential to enhance mental health knowledge and promote help-seeking among Chinese-speaking international students.

Download Full-text

Mental Health Literacy Intervention on Help-Seeking in Athletes: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17197263 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (19) ◽

pp. 7263

Author(s):

Danran Bu ◽

Pak-Kwong Chung ◽

Chun-Qing Zhang ◽

Jingdong Liu ◽

Xiang Wang

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Stigma Reduction ◽

Help Seeking Attitudes ◽

Mental Health Knowledge

Mental health literacy (MHL) is recognised as a major factor in whether athletes seek help when they experience mental health difficulties. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide a systematic review of the effectiveness of MHL training programmes in improving mental health knowledge and help-seeking and reducing stigma among athletes. To identify intervention studies of MHL programmes, five electronic databases were systematically searched for articles published before May 2020. The selection procedure was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All kinds of study designs were included. Effect sizes were calculated for mental health knowledge, stigma reduction and help-seeking attitudes, intentions and behaviours. Risk of bias was assessed for each study using the Cochrane tool and the Newcastle–Ottawa quality assessment scale. Five studies (1239 participants in total) were selected for review. Overall, either small or medium effects were found for mental health knowledge, stigma reduction, help-seeking attitudes, and intentions for post- and follow-up interventions, whereas a null effect was found in help-seeking behaviours for both post- and follow-up interventions. Furthermore, three studies had a low risk of bias, and two had a high risk of bias. MHL interventions can enhance help-seeking attitudes and intentions and mental health knowledge and reduce stigma but do not increase help-seeking behaviours for now. Further studies should evaluate interventions to enhance help-seeking behaviours. Furthermore, the methodological quality of studies, including randomized controlled trials and other designs, should be improved in future research.

Download Full-text

A school mental health literacy curriculum resource training approach: effects on Tanzanian teachers’ mental health knowledge, stigma and help-seeking efficacy

International Journal of Mental Health Systems ◽

10.1186/s13033-016-0082-6 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Stan Kutcher ◽

Yifeng Wei ◽

Heather Gilberds ◽

Omary Ubuguyu ◽

Tasiana Njau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

School Mental Health ◽

Literacy Curriculum ◽

Training Approach ◽

Mental Health Knowledge

Download Full-text

Tailored Mental Health Literacy Training Improves Mental Health Knowledge and Confidence among Canadian Farmers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17113807 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (11) ◽

pp. 3807

Author(s):

Briana N. M. Hagen ◽

Sherilee L. Harper ◽

Terri L. O’Sullivan ◽

Andria Jones-Bitton

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Farming Communities ◽

Signed Rank ◽

Literacy Training ◽

Mental Health Knowledge ◽

The Impact

This study evaluated the impact of “In the Know” mental health literacy training for Canadian agriculture. We hypothesized that “In the Know” would significantly increase participants’ knowledge around mental health, confidence in recognizing mental health struggles, confidence in speaking about mental health with others, and confidence in helping someone who may be struggling with mental health. “In the Know” was a 4-h, in-person program delivered by a mental health professional who also had experience in agriculture. Six sessions were offered in Ontario, Canada in 2018. Participants were farmers and/or worked primarily with farmers. A pre-training paper questionnaire was administered, followed by a post-training questionnaire at the end of the session and 3 and 6 month post-training questionnaires via email. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to compare participants’ self-reported knowledge and confidence across four timepoints. “In the Know” significantly improved participants’ self-reported mental health knowledge and confidence in recognizing mental health struggles, speaking to others, and helping others who are struggling immediately following training and often at 3 and 6 months post-training. This is the first study among farming populations to measure program impact with 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Given the reported associations between mental health literacy and increased help-seeking, disseminating “In the Know” more broadly across farming communities may help to increase mental health literacy and thus increase help-seeking among farmers.

Download Full-text

Preparing for the Classroom: Mental Health Knowledge Improvement, Stigma Reduction and Enhanced Help-Seeking Efficacy in Canadian Preservice Teachers

Canadian Journal of School Psychology ◽

10.1177/0829573516688596 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 314-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Wendy Carr ◽

Yifeng Wei ◽

Stan Kutcher ◽

Amy Heffernan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Preservice Teachers ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Help Seeking Behaviors ◽

Attitudes Toward Mental Illness ◽

Mental Health Knowledge ◽

The Impact

Mental health literacy is fundamental to improving knowledge about mental health, decreasing stigma, and, therefore, enhancing help-seeking behaviors. The purpose of this cohort study is to evaluate the impact of a mental health literacy program on preservice teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking efficacy. Sixty preservice teachers in a Canadian university participated in a professional development day and completed a survey of their mental health knowledge, attitudes toward mental illness, and help-seeking efficacy. Compared with baseline data, results demonstrated significant and substantial improvements on all three outcomes immediately following the session and after 3 months. Provision of mental health literacy education among preservice teachers may be an effective approach to help them better address student mental health needs in their future teaching career.

Download Full-text

Influences on adolescent help-seeking for mental health problems

Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools ◽

10.1017/jgc.2020.28 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Sarah Pearson ◽

Chelsea Hyde

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Reasoned Action ◽

Health Problems ◽

Reasoned Action Approach ◽

Seeking Help ◽

Key Variables ◽

Mental Health Knowledge

Abstract Seeking help for mental health concerns is critical for improving wellbeing and preventing the development of mental health disorders, yet many adolescents with mental health problems fail to seek professional help. It is well established that young people with mental health problems face a variety of barriers to help-seeking; however, little is known about the ways in which these barriers interact to impact upon the help-seeking process. Guided by the reasoned action approach, this study investigated the predictive relationship between factors that influence help-seeking. Results revealed that mental health knowledge significantly predicted help-seeking intentions, while attitudes did not. Gender differences were identified for help source preferences. The current study contributes to knowledge on the relationship between key variables that influence the adolescent help-seeking process. Findings highlight the importance of mental health knowledge in predicting help-seeking intentions and provide support for interventions that focus on improving mental health literacy in adolescents.

Download Full-text

Developing mental health awareness and help seeking in prison: a feasibility study of the State of Mind Sport programme

International Journal of Prisoner Health ◽

10.1108/ijph-10-2019-0057 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 403-416

Author(s):

David Woods ◽

Gerry Leavey ◽

Rosie Meek ◽

Gavin Breslin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Well Being ◽

Content Type ◽

Mental Health Awareness ◽

State Of Mind ◽

Health Intentions ◽

Mental Health Knowledge

Purpose The high prevalence of mental illness within the prison population necessitates innovative mental health awareness provision. This purpose of this feasibility study with 75 males (47 intervention; 28 control) was to evaluate State of Mind Sport (SOMS), originally developed as a community based mental health and well-being initiative, in a notoriously challenging prison setting. Design/methodology/approach A mixed 2 (group) × 2 (time) factorial design was adopted. Questionnaires tested for effects on knowledge of mental health, intentions to seek help, well-being and resilience. For each outcome measure, main and interaction effects (F) were determined by separate mixed factors analysis of variance. Two focus groups (N = 15) further explored feasibility and were subjected to general inductive analysis. Findings A significant group and time interaction effect were shown for mental health knowledge, F(1, 72) = 4.92, p = 0.03, ηp2 = 0.06, showing a greater post-programme improvement in mental health knowledge score for the intervention group. Focus group analysis revealed an increase in hope, coping efficacy and intentions to engage more openly with other prisoners regarding personal well-being as a result of the SOMS programme. However, fear of stigmatisation by other inmates and a general lack of trust in others remained as barriers to help-seeking. Originality/value The implications of this study, the first to evaluate a sport-based mental health intervention in prison, are that a short intervention with low costs can increase prisoner knowledge of mental health, intentions to engage in available well-being opportunities and increase a sense of hope, at least in the short term.

Download Full-text

Knowledge of mental health symptoms and help seeking attitude in a population-based sample in Hong Kong

International Journal of Mental Health Systems ◽

10.1186/s13033-021-00462-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ada Wai Tung Fung ◽

Linda Chiu Wa Lam ◽

Sandra Sau Man Chan ◽

Sing Lee

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Population Based ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Professional Help ◽

Poor Knowledge ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Mental Health Knowledge

Abstract Background Mental health symptoms can be subtle, resulting in delaying treatment. A prompt identification of mental signs and symptoms is important for preventing mental disorders in the public. This study examined whether local public have adequate knowledge to identify mental health symptoms and the need to get timely professional help. Methods The population-based telephone surveys were conducted in 2015 and 2018. It involved a random sample of 4033 respondents aged 12–75 years. Mental health knowledge and help seeking attitude were assessed using six vignettes depicting subtle and obvious symptoms of anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, and dementia. Logistic regression models were performed to examine association between mental health knowledge and help-seeking attitude. Results Individuals with poor knowledge in subtle symptoms were more likely to be males (t = − 5.0, p < .001), younger (F = 15.0, p < .001), have tertiary education (F = 15.0, p < .001), and employed (t = − 2.1, p = .037). The knowledge scores of subtle and obvious symptoms were 1.5 and 2.3 respectively. Binary logistic regression found that poor knowledge of subtle symptoms was associated with reluctance to professional help seeking. Conclusions Poorly identified subtle mental health symptoms is a major barrier to early professional help in highly educated working males. Future research should explore specific interventions to increase knowledge and professional help seeking in this group.

Download Full-text

Public Knowledge of Mental Health Symptoms and Help Seeking Attitude in a Population-based Sample in Hong Kong

10.21203/rs.3.rs-175088/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ada Fung ◽

Linda CW Lam ◽

Sandra SM Chan ◽

Sing Lee

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Health Knowledge ◽

Population Based ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Professional Help ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Mental Health Knowledge

Abstract BackgroundMental health symptoms can be subtle, resulting in delaying treatment. A prompt identification of mental signs and symptoms is important for preventing mental disorders in the public. This study examined whether local public have adequate knowledge to identify mental health symptoms and the need to get timely professional help.MethodsA population-based telephone surveys based on 4033 respondents aged 12 to 75 years were conducted in 2015 and 2018. Mental health knowledge and help seeking attitude were assessed using six vignettes depicting subtle and obvious symptoms of anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, and dementia. Logistic regression models were performed to examine association between mental health knowledge and help-seeking attitude.ResultsPoor knowledge in subtle symptoms are more likely to be males (t=-5.0, p<.001), younger (F=15.0, p<.001), have tertiary education (F= 15.0, p<.001), and employed (t=-2.1, p=.037). Binary logistic regression found that poor knowledge of subtle symptoms was associated with reluctance to professional help seeking.ConclusionsHighly educated working males are less proficiently in identifying subtle mental health symptoms. Poorly identified subtle symptoms is a major barrier to early professional help. Future research should explore specific interventions to increase knowledge and professional help seeking in this group.

Download Full-text