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- United to help teachers: intervention to promote mental health literacy in secondary school teachers: preliminary resultsPublication . Campos, Luísa; Palha, Filipa; Dias, Pedro; Costa, NatáliaSeveral adolescents experience significant mental health problems that interfere with their development, but they often don´t have the necessary knowledge to recognise the symptoms (Trudgen & Lawn, 2011). Teachers therefore play a crucial role in early detection of mental health problems in their students and referral to early intervention support services (Graham, Phelps, Maddison & Fitzgerald, 2011; McGorry, Purcell, Hickie, & Jorm, 2007; VicHealth, 2008). Frequently they are the first to observe the maladaptive behaviours that affect young people’s learning and overall functioning (Meldrum, Venn & Kutcher, 2009; Trudgen et al., 2011; Whitley, Smith & Vaillancourt, 2012). The “United to Help Teachers - Intervention to promote mental health literacy in secondary school teachers” project aims at promoting mental health literacy in secondary school teachers. The intervention is composed by two sessions, 150 minutes each, one-week interval. Sessions follow an interactive methodology, using group dynamics and music and group discussions. The impact of the intervention is conducted through a pretest-posttest design using “Questionnaire UPA Makes the Difference: Perceptions of mental health problems – teachers’ form”. Sixty secondary school teachers participated in this study. The postest showed a significant increase in teachers’ positive perceptions regarding mental health problems (less stigmatized), as well as a significant improvement of teachers’ perceived knowledge regarding mental health issues. These results suggest that increasing teachers’ mental health literacy is a crucial complement of school-based intervention that can permit early detection of mental health problems in young people.
- UPA Faz a Diferença - Acções de Sensibilização/ Pro-Saúde Mental junto de jovens entre os 15 e os 18 anos: diferenças de géneroPublication . Campos, Luísa; Palha, Filipa; Dias, Pedro; Veiga, Elisa; Lima, Vânia Sousa; Costa, Natália; Duarte, Ana Isabel
- UPA faz a diferença - Acções de sensibilização pró-saúde mental: resultados preliminares de acções de sensibilização pró-saúde mentalPublication . Campos, Luísa; Palha, Filipa; Dias, Pedro; Veiga, Elisa; Lima, Vânia Sousa; Costa, Natália; Duarte, Ana IsabelObjectivos: Este artigo apresenta os resultados preliminares da avaliação do impacto das acções de sensibilização pró-saúde mental, desenvolvidas no âmbito do projecto UPA Faz a Diferença, bem como das características psicométricas do “Questionário UPA faz a diferença”. Métodos: Partindo de uma amostra de 232 alunos (15 aos 18 anos) do ensino secundário, 121 alunos (grupo experimental - GE) participaram nas acções de sensibilização, constituídas por 2 sessões. Seguindo uma metodologia do tipo pré-pós, foi aplicado o “Questionário UPA” no GE, no início da 1ª sessão e final da 2ª; bem como no grupo de controlo (GC), nos mesmos momentos do GE. Resultados: Dos resultados preliminares (N=232 alunos; GE=121, GC=111), relativos aos scores globais de 2 secções do questionário, destaca-se: (1) o aumento mais expressivo de percepções positivas em relação a problemas de saúde mental (menos estigmatizantes) no GE e o aumento significativo das percepções de conhecimentos apenas no GE; bem como (2) os resultados satisfatórios de consistência interna nas secções percepções estigmatizantes e percepções de conhecimentos (alpha de Cronbach=0.75 e 0.92 respectivamente). Conclusões: Os resultados indicam que as acções de sensibilização parecem constituir uma intervenção efectiva no aumento da mental health literacy, bem como na diminuição das percepções estigmatizantes. Os níveis de consistência interna obtidos para as secções percepções estigmatizantes e percepções de conhecimentos do “Questionário UPA” são satisfatórios, apontando para a fidelidade destas duas secções.
- Abrir espaço à saúde mental - promoção da saúde mental em adolescentes (12-14 anos): construção do Guião de Focus GroupPublication . Campos, Luísa; Palha, Filipa; Veiga, Elisa; Dias, Pedro; Duarte, Ana Isabel
- Finding space to mental health - promoting mental health in adolescents: pilot studyPublication . Campos, Luísa; Dias, Pedro; Palha, Filipa
- Development and psychometric properties of a new questionnaire for assessing Mental Health Literacy in young peoplePublication . Campos, Luísa; Dias, Pedro; Palha, Filipa; Duarte, Ana; Veiga, ElisaObjectives: Several instruments assess constructs related to mental health literacy and to the stigma associated with mental health problems. However, most of them have conceptualisations that may limit the assessment of the mental health literacy concept in a more up-to-date and comprehensive perspective. Furthermore, some of the instruments’ structure may limit their use in large scale samples, in a short period of time and with repeated measures. This article presents the development of the Mental Health Literacy questionnaire (MHLq) and the studies to assess its psychometric properties. Methods: After item-pool generation, content validity was assessed by experts and a think aloud procedure. The MHLq was tested in two samples of students (study 1 n=239; aged between 12 and 15 years old; study 2 n=737; aged between 11 and 17 years old) to determine its psychometric properties. Results: Factor analysis procedures favoured a three-factor solution (with 33 items) of the MHLq. The questionnaire showed good internal consistency (total score α=0.84; Factor 1 first aid skills and help seeking - α=0.79; Factor 2 knowledge/stereotypes - α=0.78; Factor 3 self-help strategies - α=0.72); and excellent test-retest reliability, the ICC for the total score of MHLq was 0.88 and for the three dimensions of MHLq was 0.80 (Factor 1), 0.90 (Factor 2) and 0.86 (Factor 3). Conclusions: The MHLq is a practical, valid and reliable tool for identifying gaps in knowledge, beliefs and behavioural intentions, in large samples, allowing the development and evaluation of interventions aimed at promoting mental health in young people.
- Mental health awareness intervention in schoolsPublication . Campos, Luísa; Palha, Filipa; Dias, Pedro; Lima, Vânia Sousa; Veiga, Elisa; Costa, Natália; Duarte, Ana IsabelThe lack of information and stigma associated with mental disorders are major obstacles to the promotion of mental health. The “UPA Makes the Difference: Mental health awareness intervention in schools” project aims to contribute to increase young people knowledge regarding mental health issues. This project is part of the “United to Help Movement”, focusing on the combat of mental illness stigma and discrimination. Objectives: to describe the psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire UH (United to Help) and to verify the adequacy of action to promote mental health. Methods: this study was conducted with 26 students (15-17 year-olds). The mental health intervention is composed by 2 sessions. The questionnaire was administered at the beginning of the 1st session and in the end of the 2nd session. Results: cronbach’s alpha regarding 2 sections of the “Questionnaire UPA” stated poor and acceptable levels of internal consistency (stigmatizing perceptions and perceptions of knowledge, respectively). The post intervention assessment showed a significant increase in the total score of the perceptions of knowledge; no significant differences in stigmatizing perceptions; and a significant decrease in help-seeking intentions when facing a mental health problem, although most participants have come to consider different types of help. Conclusion: the results suggest the need to review the structure of the “stigmatizing perceptions” section of the questionnaire, as well as to conduct new analyses with a larger sample. Furthermore, results show the adequacy of the methodology used in the intervention, particularly in the capacity showed to promote the increase of knowledge regarding mental health issues.
- Finding space to mental health : promoting mental health in adolescents (12 to 14 year olds): preliminary results of the intervention's effectivenessPublication . Campos, Luísa; Dias, Pedro; Palha, Filipa; Duarte, Ana; Veiga, ElisaMental health and well-being are fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, to feel emotions, to form and maintain relationships, to study, to pursue leisure interests, to make day-to-day decisions and to enjoy a fulfilling life. A healthy adolescence is a prerequisite for a healthy adulthood. However, the current reality presents a concerning picture. The formation of individual and collective mental capital – especially in the earlier stages of life – is being held back by a range of avoidable risks to mental health (World Health Organization [WHO], 2013). Adolescents from Southern Europe (region that has been more severely hit by the financial crisis; e.g., Portugal) are pointed out as an extremely vulnerable group, as their mental health might easily be influenced by their parents’ economic difficulties and by the lack of social solidarity (European Parliament, 2012). Adolescents’ mental health promotion is regarded as a vital concern (WHO, 2005a, 2013). Interventions focused on mental health literacy promotion have revealed important advantages in preventing, recognising, early intervening and reducing stigma (Pinfold, Stuart, Thornicroft & Arboleda-Florez, 2005; Pinfold, Toulmin, Thornicroft, Huxley, Farmer & Graham, 2003; Schulze, Richter-Werling, Matschinger & Angermeyer, 2003; Stuart, 2006). Consistent with mental health promotion frameworks proffered by the World Health Organization (2005a), we must engage with young people in environments where they interact (Burns, 2011). Schools are implicitly one of the most important settings for promoting the mental health of adolescents (Barry, Clarke, Jenkins & Patel, 2013; WHO, 2001). The “Finding Space to Mental Health: Promoting mental health in adolescents (12- to 14 year olds)” project aims at increasing young people’s mental health literacy. During the first year, an assessment instrument – Mental Health Literacy questionnaire (MHLq) - and a two-day intervention were developed. The intervention is composed by 2 sessions at one-week intervals, lasting 90 minutes each. Sessions follow an interactive methodology, using group dynamics, music and videos and group discussions regarding participants’ emotional well-being. The study of the intervention’s effectiveness is conducted through a pretest-postest design using the MHLq in both an experimental group and a control group. This article presents the preliminary results regarding the effectiveness of the intervention aimed at enhancing mental health literacy in a sample of 100 Portuguese adolescents (12- to 14-year-olds). The postest showed students’ increased levels of knowledge and self-help strategies. These results suggest that the intervention developed appears to be adequate to the proposed goal, and they strengthen the belief that targeting young people in systematic and sustainable school-based intervention is a promising approach for the promotion of mental health literacy (Rickwood, Deane, Wilson & Ciarrichi, 2005; Schulze et al., 2003; WHO, 2010).
- Is it possible to “find space for mental health” in young people? effectiveness of a school-based mental health literacy promotion programPublication . Campos, Luísa; Dias, Pedro; Duarte, Ana; Veiga, Elisa; Dias, Claudia Camila; Palha, FilipaLack of knowledge regarding, and the stigma associated with, mental disorders have been identified as major obstacles for the promotion of mental health and early intervention. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention program focused on the promotion of mental health literacy (MHL) in young people (“Finding Space for Mental Health”). A sample of 543 students (22 classes), aged between 12 and 14 years old, participated in the study. Each class of students was randomly assigned to the control group (CG; n = 284; 11 classes) or the experimental group (EG; n = 259; 11 classes). MHL was assessed using the Mental Health Literacy questionnaire (MHLq), which is comprised of three dimensions—Knowledge/Stereotypes, First Aid Skills and Help Seeking, and Self-Help Strategies. The scores on these dimensions can also be combined to give an overall or total score. Participants from the EG attended the MHL promotion program (two sessions, 90 min each) delivered at one-week intervals. Sessions followed an interactive methodology, using group dynamics, music, and videos adapted to the target group. All participants responded to the MHLq at three points in time: pre-intervention assessment (one week prior to the intervention), post-intervention assessment (one week after the intervention) and follow-up assessment (six months after the intervention). The intervention effectiveness and the differential impact of sociodemographic variables on the effectiveness of the program were studied using a Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE). Results revealed that participants from the EG demonstrated, on average, significantly higher improvement in MHL from pre-intervention to follow-up when compared to participants from the CG. Different sociodemographic variables affected the effectiveness of the program on distinct dimensions of the MHLq. Overall, “Finding Space for Mental Health” showed efficacy as a short-term promotion program for improving MHL in schools.
- Mental health literacy in young adults: adaptation and psychometric properties of the mental health literacy questionnairePublication . Dias, Pedro; Campos, Luísa; Almeida, Helena; Palha, FilipaMental health literacy (MHL) is considered a prerequisite for early recognition and intervention in mental disorders, and for this reason, it has become a focus of research over the past few decades. Assessing this construct is relevant for identifying knowledge gaps and erroneous beliefs concerning mental health issues, to inform the development of interventions aimed at promoting mental health literacy as well as the evaluation of these interventions. Recently, we developed a new self-reporting measure (MHLq) for assessing mental health literacy in young people (12–14 years-old), meeting the need to assessMHLfrom a comprehensive perspective of the construct instead of focusing on a restricted number of mental disorders or specific dimensions (e.g., knowledge concerning specific disorders; stigma). The present study aimed to adapt the MHLq for the young adult population and to examine its psychometric properties, according to the following steps: (1) item adaptation, using a think aloud procedure (n = 5); (2) data collection (n = 356, aged between 18 and 25 years old; and (3) psychometric analyses (exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis). The final version of the questionnaire included 29 items (total scale = 0.84), organized by four dimensions: (1) knowledge of mental health problems ( = 0.74); (2) erroneous beliefs/stereotypes ( = 0.72); (3) help-seeking and first aid skills ( = 0.71); and (4) self-help strategies ( = 0.60). The results suggest that the MHLq-adult form is a practical, valid, and reliable screening tool for identifying gaps in knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral intentions related to mental health and mental disorders, planning promotion programs, and evaluating intervention effectiveness.