Let's talk about mental health! – Pilot study on school-based mental health literacy interventions for adolescents in Germany

Background

Despite the high prevalence of mental disorders in childhood and adolescence, only a subset of affected youths seeks and receives professional help. Mental health literacy (MHL) is an important facilitator of mental health service utilization. Besides knowledge and competencies, MHL encompasses decreased stigma and fears of stigmatization. We conducted so-called Living Library interventions at schools with adolescents in Germany, enabling direct social contact with experienced students of psychology. The present pilot study aims to evaluate these interventions with regard to their effects on adolescents’ MHL and reduced barriers to utilize mental health care.

Methods

The interventions were part of the university education in Psychology. Students prepared to transfer knowledge and discuss prevalent prejudices about common mental disorders using interactive formats. A within-subjects survey was conducted. Adolescents’ ratings on their MHL and on the Adolescent Barriers to Accessing Psychotherapy (ABAP) Questionnaire were assessed before and after the interventions. A total of N = 133 participants (M = 14.70 years, 48.1 % male) were included in the analyses.

Results

Adolescents reported increased MHL (d = 0.62) and reduced Help-seeking stigma (d = -0.23) after the interventions compared to before. No changes appeared on the ABAP subscales Fear of public stigma, Problem denial and Fear of psychotherapy setting.

Conclusions

Our pilot study indicates that our interventions increase adolescents’ MHL and reduce reservations towards seeking professional help. Potential adaptations of the interventions, for example the involvement of school staff and caregivers, might increase their effects on additional barriers towards mental health care utilization.