Evaluation of a mental health course for stigma reduction : a pilot study

Enhanced mental literacy may lead to lesser public and self-stigmatisation and improve help-seeking behaviour. This pilot study examines the efficacy of a mental health course for undergraduate students in a Hong Kong university aiming to enhance mental health literacy and reduce stigma against mental illness in Hong Kong. An uncontrolled pre-post evaluation was conducted to investigate the students’ attitudes towards people with mental health issues, their knowledge about mental health and intended and reported behaviours. Among 111 enrolled students, 49 students completed both the pre- and post-surveys. Improvements yielded some items on knowledge about mental illness, while some items on attitudes towards mental illness had statistically significant differences but only a few items on intended behaviours towards people with mental illness. The positive findings show that teaching mental health knowledge at the university settings as a universal prevention strategy may be a good option for mental ill health stigma reduction when the mental health status of university students, especially those who are reluctant to seek for help, are sometimes overlooked.