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Future good quality, large-scale, multi-sites randomized controlled trials are necessary to evaluate MHL interventions.

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AimsThe study aims to examine the effectiveness of the online HOPE intervention to increase mental health literacy (MHL), psychological well‐being (PWB); and in reducing stress among youths aged 18–24 living in Singapore.DesignThe study will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will adopt a single‐group pre–post repeated quasi‐experimental research design. The second phase adopts a two‐group, parallel randomized control trial, with a pre‐test, posttest and follow‐up.MethodsThe study will be conducted in a University in Singapore, in 2019–2021. Participants will be recruited and randomly assigned into one of the two groups. Approval from the institutional review board has been obtained in August 2019. Research funding from National Youth Fund has been obtained in November 2019. Outcome measures will be measured using Depression Literacy Questionnaire, Anxiety literacy Questionnaire, validated depression vignette, Ryff's PWB Scale and Perceived Stress Scale, at baseline, postintervention and 2 months’ follow‐up. Participants’ perceptions of the intervention will be measured qualitatively.DiscussionThe online HOPE intervention had been developed based on the principles of the Self‐Efficacy Theory.ImpactThere is no research about MHL intervention in Singapore. Low MHL prevents early help‐seeking and delays treatment. Hence, this study highlights the importance of mental health public education as primary care. Increased MHL will enhance early help‐seeking behaviours, promoting early recovery and enhancing the health of the young people worldwide.

Mental health literacy (MHL) promotes mental health among youths. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly developed HOPE intervention in improving depression literacy, anxiety literacy, psychological well-being, and reducing personal stigma and stress levels amongst young adults at a university in Singapore. After two pilot studies, we conducted a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and recruited 174 participants aged 18–24 years old through social media platforms. The HOPE intervention group received four online sessions over two weeks and the control group received online inspirational quotes. Study outcomes were measured with self-reported questionnaires and they were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04266119). Compared with the control arm, the intervention group was associated with increased depression and anxiety literacy levels at post-intervention and two-month follow-up. In addition, personal stigma for depression was reduced at the post-intervention juncture. However, there were no statistically significant changes in the ratings of psychological well-being and stress levels between the two groups. Longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to replicate and extend the extant findings.