Evaluating the benefits of a Primary Mental Health Programme for its participants
Abstract
This evaluation study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Primary Mental
Health Programme in the field of adolescent mental health prevention. Another
aim was to find out whether variables such as respondents' gender, age and
experience of mental illness of the respondents can influence their attitudes
towards mental health.
The research group consists of 1898 secondary school students (1655 respondents
from the experimental group who participated in the programme and 243 from the
control group who did not participate in the programme) aged 14–19 years. The
research method is evaluation feedback questionnaires given to the respondents
before and after the implementation of the programme. Changes in students'
attitudes before and after the programme were measured in three dimensions –
(1) Seeking professional help; (2) Principles of proper mental hygiene; (3)
Destigmatization of people with mental illness. Students in the experimental
group participated in a preventive programme in the form of a one-day, five-hour
workshop conducted by two professionally trained lecturers from the non-profit
organization Nevypusť duši, which has been implementing the primarily
preventive Mental Health Science Programme in secondary schools throughout the
Czech Republic for many years.
The results of the evaluation show that the Mental Health Programme is effective
and seems to be the most beneficial in the area of (1) Seeking professional help
and (2) Principles of proper mental hygiene. It also confirms that respondents'
gender, age and experience of mental illness influence their attitudes towards
some areas of mental health.
https://doi.org/10.29364/epsy.486
(Fulltext in Czech)
Keywords
primary prevention, evaluation, mental health, adolescence, mental health literacyLiterature
Andersson, H.W., Bjørngaard, J. H., Kaspersen, S. L., & Dahl, T. (2010). The effects of individual factors and school environment on mental health and prejudiced attitudes among Norwegian adolescents. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 45(5), 569–577. https://doi.org/…7-009-0099-0
Bínová, Š., & Havelka, T. (2021). Duševní zdraví dětí a adolescentů v době pandemie covidu-19 z pohledu dětských a dorostových psychiatrů. Psychiatrie pro praxi 22(3), 173–178. https://www.psychiatriepropraxi.cz/…9_10_001.pdf
Campos, L., Dias, P., & Duarte, A., Veiga, E., Dias, C. C., & Palha, F. (2018). Is it possible to “Find Space for Mental Health” in young people? Effectiveness of a School-Based Mental Health Literacy Promotion Program. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(7). http://dx.doi.org/…erph15071426
Fryč, J., et al. (2020). Strategie vzdělávací politiky České republiky do roku 2030. Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy. https://www.msmt.cz/…nline_CZ.pdf
Kroger, J., Martinussen, M., & Marcia, J. (2010). Identity status change during adolescence and young adulthood: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescence. 33(5), 683–698. https://doi.org/….2009.11.002
Kessler, R., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 62(6), 593–602. https://doi.org/…syc.62.6.593
Men's Health Forum. (2017). Key Data: Mental Health: Statistics on mental health and men. [cit. 2023–08–10]. https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/…ental-health
Ocisková, M., & Praško, J. (2015). Stigmatizace a sebestigmatizace u psychických poruch. Grada Publishing.
NEVYPUSŤ DUŠI. (2022). Výroční zpráva za rok 2021. https://nevypustdusi.cz/o-nas/#…
NEVYPUSŤ DUŠI. [online] Programy pro středoškoláky*čky. https://nevypustdusi.cz/vypis-programu/?…
Pavlas Martanová, V. a kol. (2012). Standardy odborné způsobilosti poskytovatelů programů školské primární prevence rizikového chování. Klinika adiktologie, 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze a VFN v Praze & Togga. https://www.adiktologie.cz/…prch-web.pdf
Pinfold, V., Toulmin, H., Thornicroft, G., Huxley, P., Farmer, P., & Graham, T. (2003). Reducing psychiatric stigma and discrimination: Evaluation of educational interventions in UK secondary schools. British Journal of Psychiatry, 182(4), 342–346. https://doi.org/…jp.182.4.342
Rosenfield, S., & Smith, D. (2009). Gender and mental health: Do men and women have different amounts or types of problems? In T. Scheid & T. Brown (Eds.), A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems (pp. 256–267). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/…11984945.017
Rüsch, N., C. Angermeyer, M., & Corrigan, P. (2005). Mental illness stigma: Concepts, consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma. European Psychiatry, 20(8), 529–539. https://doi.org/….2005.04.004
Skre, I., Friborg, O., & Breivik, C. et al. (2013). A school intervention for mental health literacy in adolescents: Effects of a non-randomized cluster controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 13(873). https://doi.org/…-2458-13-873
Werner-Seidler, A., Perry, Y., & Calear A. et al. (2017). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs for young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. 17(51), 30–47. https://doi.org/….2016.10.005
WHO. (2021a). Adolescent mental health. https://www.who.int/…ental-health
WHO. (2021b). Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013 – 2030. https://www.who.int/…789240031029