The Youth Aware of Mental Health Intervention: Impact on Help Seeking, Mental Health Knowledge, and Stigma in U.S. Adolescents
| Autor: | Luis Gutierrez, Matthew J. Byerly, Janet C. Lindow, Elizabeth Bannister, Charles South, Abu Minhajuddin, Madhukar H. Trivedi, Jennifer L. Hughes |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Adolescent
Social Stigma Stigma (botany) Poison control Suicide prevention Article Occupational safety and health 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Surveys and Questionnaires 030225 pediatrics medicine Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Mental health literacy Suicidal ideation Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Mental illness medicine.disease Texas Mental health Europe Psychiatry and Mental health Mental Health Pediatrics Perinatology and Child Health medicine.symptom Psychology Clinical psychology |
| Zdroj: | J Adolesc Health |
| ISSN: | 1054-139X |
| Popis: | Purpose Suicide is a leading cause of death among U.S. youth aged 12–18 years. Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM), a promising, universal, school-based mental health promotion/suicide primary prevention intervention for adolescents, has been evaluated in Europe but not in the U.S. The present study used an uncontrolled, pretest/post-test design to document the potential for YAM to reduce suicidal ideation, attempt, and suicide. A demonstration that help seeking behaviors, mental health literacy, and mental health stigmatizing attitudes improve after the intervention would suggest that the program is promising in the U.S., as well as in Europe, and that further investigation is merited. Methods YAM was delivered to 1,878 students in 11 schools as part of regular school curricula. A subset of these students (n = 436) completed surveys before and 3 months postdelivery. Surveys included five questions about help seeking behaviors, a measure of intent to seek help (General Help Seeking Questionnaire), two mental health literacy scales, and two mental illness stigma scales (Reported and Intended Behavior Scale and Personal Stigma and Social Distance Scale). Both McNemar's test and repeated measures linear models were used to determine whether the survey outcomes changed after YAM delivery. Results Among the 436 adolescents (286 and 150 in Montana and Texas, respectively), significant increases were found pre- to post-intervention in three of five help seeking behaviors, along with improved mental health literacy and decreased mental health-related stigma. Intent to seek help was unchanged. Conclusions Several help seeking behavioral factors, mental health knowledge, and stigma improved post-YAM intervention. All three domains are likely protective against suicide. A randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of YAM in preventing suicidal behaviors is warranted. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full Text from ScienceDirect