Reducing Mental Health Stigma in Primary Healthcare Workers in a Rural Chinese County: a Contact-based Family-centric Approach
Year: 2021
Type: preprint
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Background: Mental health-related stigma is a key deterrent to help-seeking in people with mental illness. However, effective stigma reduction interventions are sparse, let alone ones adapted to the cultural context of mental health systems. The aims of the present study were to demonstrate the feasibility and to evaluate the impact of a culturally adapted brief contact-based family-centric training program on reducing mental health-related stigma in primary healthcare workers (PHW) in a Chinese rural county. Methods: The one-day stigma reduction training program was developed based on the Opening Minds Anti-Stigma Initiative. The program included didactic lectures, case studies (two audio-taped testimonies of patient-caregiver dyads) and communication skills training (role-playing). Ten township-level and ten village-level PHW participated in separate one-day training sessions. Mental health knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors, and provider empathy were measured before and after the training. Results: The intervention was favorably rated and considered acceptable among PHW. Compared to measures at baseline, participants’ stigmatizing attitudes reduced, their willingness to engage in relationship with people with mental illness increased, and their empathetic response toward patients improved post-intervention.Conclusions: Social contact-based family-centric training is a promising and feasible method of reducing stigma among rural Chinese PHW.
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3198069042