Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Literacy Research [ICHL]
Mental Health Literacy promotion of children and adolescents for stigma reduction (IMPRES)
Brief description
IMPRES is the successor project of "NePP". The goals of the subproject are the prevention of mental illness through the implementation and evaluation of an early intervention to promote Mental Health Literacy (MHL). In addition, it aims to reduce the stigma of mental illness, as this is often a barrier to seeking help. The intervention will be developed based on a comprehensive literature review and supplemented by the use of media content.
Project description
The objectives for the IMPRES subproject in the second funding phase are based on results of the predecessor project "NePP" in the first HLCA funding phase and include the development, implementation and evaluation of an intervention to promote Mental Health Literacy (MHL) in children and adolescents. In the context of applied MHL intervention research in children and adolescents, subproject goals can be summarized as follows:
- Review current literature on mental illness stigma research regarding multiple processes of societal stigma, self-stigma, and mental health information processing and use,
- Collection, testing, and adaptation of anti-stigma and education programs for children and adolescents, and finally,
- Implementation and evaluation of an intervention for children and adolescents designed to promote MHL and reduce stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental health problems.
Thus, the core of the project is the development, implementation, and evaluation of an intervention to promote MHL in children and adolescents. In addition, the influence of MHL promotion on the stigma of mental illness as well as on self-stigmatization processes will be examined in more detail. In the long term, the aim is to promote the resilience of children and adolescents and to lower access thresholds to early intervention or prevention. When developing and implementing the intervention, existing projects and structures should be used, if possible, to ensure the most efficient use of existing resources.
A key finding from the MHL projects in the first funding phase is that stigma is a relevant issue for health promotion and primary prevention in the context of mental health, as it negatively influences the uptake and use of adequate help and support. Stigma can be discussed in the context of MHL if it is assumed to be a consequence of missing or misunderstood mental health information. Additionally, it influences the evaluation and use of health information when making decisions related to mental health or illness. In this context, and based on the research findings from the first funding phase, MHL can be defined as understanding, evaluating, and using health information to make health-promoting decisions with regard to mental health issues. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that for children and adolescents, there is a need for interventions that reduce stigma and self-stigma (internalization of stigmatizing attitudes). Addressing a young target group should influence societal stigma in the long term.
