Reducing the Mental Health–Related Stigma of Social Work Students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a social contact and education intervention to improve attitudes to mental illness in first-year social work students. This was a 3-month cluster randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms: intervention (87) and control group (79). The intervention was a workshop led by an OBERTAMENT activist (a person with a mental illness trained in communication skills and empowerment by a social worker). We assessed intended future behavior toward people with mental illness, personal and perceived stigma, and mental health-related attitudes (self-reported questionnaire). The intervention improved social work students' attitudes (d % 0.50, p < .05) and reduced personal stigma toward people with mental illness (d ¼ 0.35, p ¼ .04) as well as improving their future intended behavior 2 weeks after the intervention (d ¼ 0.51, p ¼ .01). The intervention impact on authoritarian attitudes toward people with schizophrenia was maintained after 3 months (d ¼ 0.94, p ¼ .01). Long-term impact needs to be improved.

Efficacy of an Intervention to Reduce Stigma Beliefs and Attitudes among Primary Care and Mental Health Professionals: Two Cluster Randomised-Controlled Trials

“…Considering as possible universes all primary care and mental health centres (children and adolescents, adults and substance abuse) in Catalonia and the effect sizes of an intervention carried out with social work students [34], using a similar methodology, the number of participants was estimated according to the following calculation of statistical power. Accepting an alpha risk of 0.05 and a beta risk of 0.2 in a two-sided test, assuming a correlation between the first and second measure of r = 0.6., 99 subjects were considered necessary in each group to recognize as statistically significant difference greater than or equal to 0.4 standard deviations.…”

‘We barely survived’: Social work students’ mental health vulnerabilities and implications for educators, universities and the workforce

“…As noted, Rubio-Valera et al (2016) revealed almost one third of social work students participating in workshops on mental health stigma had experienced mental health issues themselves, while Covarrubias and Han (2011) identified that social work students may enter their programmes with stigmatising attitudes toward people with mental illness, and Newcomb et al (2017) reported social work students' reluctance to disclose their past service-user status. Taken together, this literature suggests that many students may understand the lived experience of mental ill-health, and training can equip them with skills and knowledge to recognise, and work to reduce, mental health stigma for service users.…”

“…Similarly, research by Rubio-Valera et al (2016) revealed almost one third of social work students participating in workshops on mental health stigma had experienced mental health concerns themselves. Yet Covarrubias and Han (2011) identified that many students entering social work programmes held stigmatising attitudes toward people with mental illness.…”

Efficacy of an Intervention to Reduce Stigma Beliefs and Attitudes Among Primary Care and Mental Health Professionals: Two Cluster Randomized-Controlled Trials

“…Considering effect sizes of an intervention carried out with social work students [16], using a similar methodology, the number of participants was estimated according to the following calculation of statistical power. Accepting an alpha risk of .05 and a beta risk of .2 in a two-sided test, assuming a correlation between the first and second measure of r = 0.6., 99 subjects were considered necessary in each group to recognize as statistically significant difference greater than or equal to 0.4 standard deviations.…”