Long‐term impact of a mental health literacy resource applied by regular classroom teachers in a Canadian school cohort

Abstract

Application of evidence‐based mental health literacy (MHL) curriculum resources by classroom teachers has been demonstrated to significantly improve knowledge and decrease stigma in the short term. Aims To report results that extend these positive findings for a period of one year. Method In a naturalistic cohort study, 332 grade 9 students (ages 14–15) in a Canadian school district learned from an evidence‐based curriculum resource (the Guide) applied by classroom teachers who trained in its use. Evaluations of knowledge and stigma were conducted before the Guide, immediately following the Guide delivery and at one‐year follow‐up. Results Students showed significant (p < .001) and substantial (d = 0.68 and 0.67) short‐term and significant (p < .001) and substantial (d = 0.44 and 0.58) long‐term improvements in knowledge and reductions in stigma. Significant stigma reduction was found among female students than male students, but no gender differences on knowledge were found at long‐term follow‐up. Educators showed significant and substantial short‐term improvements in knowledge (p < .001; d = 1.03) and reductions in stigma (p < .05; d = 0.35). Conclusions The Guide resource delivered by trained classroom teachers may have value in enhancing MHL outcomes for young people.

Evaluating the effect of an adapted mental health literacy intervention on mental health related stigma among secondary students in Germany: results of a pre-post evaluation study

“…The magnitude of change in the social stigma subscale was so substantial that the total scores reached the significance level when it was considered together with the social distance subscale. Similar results were observed in previous evaluation studies of the application of the Guide in Canada [ 12 – 14 , 29 , 34 ] and beyond, e.g., Nicaragua [ 16 ] or Wales [ 35 ], where attitudes towards mental illness were assessed through a composite measure, without looking at the individual contribution of subscales. More precisely, two studies also used a 12-item scale to assess attitudes [ 29 , 34 ], four studies applied a shorter scale comprising 8 items [ 12 – 14 , 16 ], and one used a different set of 6 items to measure stigma (“stigma to others”) [ 35 ].…”

“…The items were chosen in the present study because they were tailored for the program evaluation. As reported in an evaluation study, the scale’s internal consistency is good (α = 0.82-0.88) [ 29 ]. The items were translated into German by the project team.…”

“…Participants’ attitudes towards mental illness were assessed through twelve items. These were adopted from the “Student Survey” questionnaire version of 2017, which was developed by the Canadian creators of the Guide (items displayed in Appendix S2 of Wei et al 2022 [ 29 ]). The creators declare that the attitude items in this survey are revised from Youth Opinion Survey.…”

“…The scale comprises two subscales, one consisting of five items addressing “social stigma”, which refers to a person’s misconceptions, negative beliefs, and stigmatizing attitudes about people with mental illness. The second subscale consists of seven items addressing “social distance”, referring to the willingness to interact with people with mental illness [ 29 ]. The total scores range for the subscales were 5–35 for social stigma and 7–49 for social distance.…”

Factors associated with mental health stigma among teachers and caregivers of primary school children in Mbale, Uganda

“…"If I had neighbors with mental illness, I would move out of that neighborhood"). The scale consists of 12 items and uses a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree -7 = Strongly Agree) with an internal consistency ranging from α = 0.50-0.85 (49). Due to di culties in understanding the last two items during piloting (translated to the local language), they were removed from the questionnaire in the present study ("I would accept someone who has received mental health treatment as a friend", and "I would think less of a person who has received mental health treatment").…”