(1183) Effects of Personal Education on Mental Health Resource Awareness at a Rural Regional College

Objectives: This study investigates whether personal education provided by pharmacy students increase awareness of local mental health resources, and participant’s willingness to use those resources. It also explores internal and perceived external stigmas related to mental health. The hypothesis of this study proposes that personal education can reduce stigmas, enhance knowledge, and promote willingness to seek help compared to perceptions and knowledge prior to education. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME IS TO MEASURE THE IMPACT ON KNOWLEDGE AND WILLINGNESS TO SEEK HELP IF NEEDED THROUGH OF A STUDENT LED INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL SESSION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL RESOURCES COMPARED TO JUST HANDING OUT BROCHURES. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE ANALYZING THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND SURVEY RESPONSE DATA PERTAINING TO PERCEPTIONS OVER MENTAL HEALTH COLLECTED FROM ON-CAMPUS PARTICIPANTS.

Methods: This study was approved by the Investigation Review Board. During this study, each on-campus participant served as their own control. Participants completed a A SURVEY THAT INCLUDES DEMOGRAPHICS AND PERCEPTIONS REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH STIGMAS. QUESTIONS ON THE SURVEY WERE DERIVED FROM THE STIGMA AND SELF STIGMA SCALE (SASS), A VALIDATED TOOL TO MONITOR CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH ATTITUDES. THESE SURVEY QUESTIONS WERE PRESENTED USING A 5-POINT LIKERT SCALE. PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO GIVEN A FIVE-QUESTION PRE-EDUCATION TEST ABOUT LOCAL RESOURCES (CONTROL). Once participants completed the pre-education questions, researchers discussed information on brochures pertaining to local resources for mental health and answered any related questions. After the educational intervention, the participants WERE INSTRUCTED TO COMPLETE the post-education test (experiment) which included the same questions as the pre-education test. Scores from the pre and post-tests WERE analyzed for ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS WERE USED IN THE ANALYSIS, AND THE VARIABILITY OF RESPONSES WERE ASSESSED WITH STANDARD DEVIATIONS. PRE AND POST DATA WAS COMPARED USING WILCOXON MATCHED-PAIRS SIGNED-RANK TEST.

Results: AFTER THE EDUCATIONAL SESSION, FIFTY-FOUR STUDENTS GAINED KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE LOCATIONS OF ON-CAMPUS AND OFF-CAMPUS MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AND FOUR STUDENTS LEARNED THAT HEALTH INSURANCE WASN'T REQUIRED TO ACCESS THE CAMPUS RESOURCES. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS DISAGREED THAT PEOPLE WITH ONLY SERIOUS CONCERNS SHOULD SEEK COUNSELING. ALTHOUGH MORE STUDENTS MARKED DISAGREE/STRONGLY DISAGREE AFTER EDUCATION, THERE WAS A SLIGHT SHIFT IN THE MEAN TOWARD THE RIGHT. PRIOR TO THE EDUCATION, MOST STUDENTS INDICATED THAT THEY FELT COMFORTABLE USING SERVICES, AND AFTER THE EDUCATION THERE WERE ADDITIONAL STUDENTS WHO MARKED STRONGLY AGREE/AGREE WITH FEELING COMFORTABLE SEEKING HELP.

REGARDING EXTERNAL STIGMAS THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS SURVEYED EITHER STRONGLY DISAGREED/DISAGREED WITH THE STATEMENTS THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ARE NOT REALLY ILL AND ARE LESS RELIABLE. IN REGARDS TO INTERNAL STIGMA THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS EITHER STRONGLY AGREED/AGREED THAT IF THEY HAD A MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH ISSUE, THEY WOULD WORRY THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD THINK THEY WERE INADEQUATE, WOULD AVOID THEM, WOULD THINK THAT THEY WERE NOT REALLY ILL. THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS ALSO INDICATED THAT HAVING MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL HEATH ISSUES IS NOT VIEWED AS SHAMEFUL.

Conclusions: A STUDENT-LED EDUCATIONAL SURVEY DID SHOW BENEFIT TOWARDS THE KNOWLEDGE OF AVAILABLE LOCAL RESOURCES, INCLUDING RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS. THERE WAS ALSO A SHIFT IN ATTITUDES THAT REFLECTED STUDENTS FELT MORE COMFORTABLE SEEKING HELP THROUGH THE LOCAL RESOURCES AFTER THE EDUCATION FROM THE STUDENT RESEARCHERS. THIS IS A PROMISING INDICATOR THAT STUDENTS ARE BECOMING BETTER EQUIPPED TO ACCESS THE SUPPORT THEY MAY NEED. HOWEVER, IT IS CRUCIAL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A MANY PARTICIPANTS AGREED WITH STATEMENTS REFLECTING INTERNAL STIGMA INCLUDING HOW THEY BELIEVE OTHERS PERCEIVED THEM IF THEY HAD MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE PERSISTENCE OF INTERNALIZED STIGMA WITHIN THE STUDENT POPULATION, SUGGESTING THAT FURTHER EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO ADDRESS THESE DEEPLY INGRAINED PERCEPTIONS.