Effectiveness of a School-Based Mental Health Literacy Program on Increasing Help- Seeking Attitudes Among Ethnic Minority Youth

Alexa Algios, Pace University

Abstract

Despite ethnic minority youth being at an increased risk for mental health concerns, there continues to be a greater disparity between those who need mental health services and those who receive those services for this population of youth. There are many barriers that ethnic minority youth face when seeking out mental health services, such as negative attitudes and stigma related to mental health and mental health help-seeking, as well as lack of knowledge about mental health and mental health services. The purpose of this study was to deliver a mental health literacy (MHL) intervention to ethnic minority youth in a school setting with the goal of addressing these barriers. Specifically, this study aimed to determine if (1) engagement in a MHL intervention results in an increase in help-seeking attitudes among ethnic minority youth, (2) initial levels of public and/or personal mental health help-seeking stigma moderate changes in help-seeking attitudes as a result of the MHL intervention, and (3) ethnicity moderates changes in help-seeking attitudes as a result of the MHL intervention. Results did not reveal any significant improvements in help-seeking attitudes as a result of engaging in a MHL intervention. Furthermore, neither initial levels of mental health help-seeking stigma nor ethnicity moderated changes in help-seeking attitudes. Challenges of conducting school-based research and limitations associated with the present study are discussed.

Subject Area

Psychology

Recommended Citation

Algios, Alexa, "Effectiveness of a School-Based Mental Health Literacy Program on Increasing Help- Seeking Attitudes Among Ethnic Minority Youth" (2020). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI28288999.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI28288999

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