Sticky interventions for a sticky problem: A systematic review of recent workplace mental health stigma reduction interventions with implications for training transfer

Introduction

Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to managing the stigma associated with mental health conditions. Most interventions tend to be training-based; however, research on mental health stigma reduction has not adopted theories and concepts from health and safety training literature to evaluate how effective these interventions are, and what training design and delivery features result in better training transfer.

Method

To fill this gap and develop a strategic agenda for future research, we undertook a systematic qualitative literature review of 27 articles (including both published and unpublished studies), as well as some high-quality grey literature. We applied a health and safety training transfer model and used descriptive and thematic analyses to critically appraise the articles reviewed.

Results

Our analysis highlighted how existing studies focus on short-term learning outcomes (i.e., changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes) without considering the actual experience of the training (i.e., training engagement) and long-term outcomes (i.e., training transfer). Although most reviewed studies considered training design (e.g., trainer credibility) and delivery factors (e.g., online vs. face to face), the consideration of pre-training factors was absent.

Conclusions and Practical Applications

Avenues for future research such as exploring ways to boost behavioral change following stigma training, and practical implications to boost transfer of stigma reduction trainings, mapped against the training transfer framework, are also explored.