Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the promotion of mental health (MHP) through education and training is widely accepted, there is scarce evidence for its effectiveness in the literature from outcome studies worldwide. The present study aimed to assess the e...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2011-12-01
|
| Series: | Annals of General Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/10/1/33 |
| _version_ | 1811311144235696128 |
|---|---|
| author | Tomaras Vlassis D Ginieri-Coccossis Maria Vassiliadou Maria Malliori Melpomeni Ferentinos Spyros Soldatos Constantin R Tylee Andre |
| author_facet | Tomaras Vlassis D Ginieri-Coccossis Maria Vassiliadou Maria Malliori Melpomeni Ferentinos Spyros Soldatos Constantin R Tylee Andre |
| author_sort | Tomaras Vlassis D |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the promotion of mental health (MHP) through education and training is widely accepted, there is scarce evidence for its effectiveness in the literature from outcome studies worldwide. The present study aimed to assess the effect of a three-semester MHP educational program on the recipients' opinions towards mental illness and on their own self-assessed health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Respondents were 78 attendees who completed the assessment battery at the first (baseline) and the last session (end) of the training course. They were primary care physicians or other professionals, or key community agents, working in the greater Athens area. The course consisted of 44 sessions (4 h each), over a 3-semester period, focusing on the principles and methods of mental health promotion, the main aspects of major psychiatric disorders, and on relevant to health skills. Assessment instruments included the Opinion about Mental Illness (OMI) scale and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean scores of three OMI factors, that is, social discrimination, social restriction and social integration, and the two GHQ-28 subscales, that is, anxiety/insomnia and social dysfunction, were significantly improved by the end of the training course.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this study provide evidence, with limitations, for the short-term effectiveness of the implemented educational MHP program on an adult group of recipients-key agents in their community. Because interventions for strengthening positive opinions about mental illness and enhancing self-assessed health constitute priority aims of mental health promotion, it would be beneficial to further investigate the sustainability of the observed positive changes. In addition it would be useful to examine (a) the possible interplay between the two outcome measures, that is, the effect of opinions of recipients about mental health on their perceived health, and (b) the applicability of this intervention in individuals with different sociodemographic profiles.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:12:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0755677dfcc24b7cac1881f8c0a40362 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1744-859X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:12:35Z |
| publishDate | 2011-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of General Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-0755677dfcc24b7cac1881f8c0a403622022-12-22T02:50:49ZengBMCAnnals of General Psychiatry1744-859X2011-12-011013310.1186/1744-859X-10-33Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental healthTomaras Vlassis DGinieri-Coccossis MariaVassiliadou MariaMalliori MelpomeniFerentinos SpyrosSoldatos Constantin RTylee Andre<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the promotion of mental health (MHP) through education and training is widely accepted, there is scarce evidence for its effectiveness in the literature from outcome studies worldwide. The present study aimed to assess the effect of a three-semester MHP educational program on the recipients' opinions towards mental illness and on their own self-assessed health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Respondents were 78 attendees who completed the assessment battery at the first (baseline) and the last session (end) of the training course. They were primary care physicians or other professionals, or key community agents, working in the greater Athens area. The course consisted of 44 sessions (4 h each), over a 3-semester period, focusing on the principles and methods of mental health promotion, the main aspects of major psychiatric disorders, and on relevant to health skills. Assessment instruments included the Opinion about Mental Illness (OMI) scale and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean scores of three OMI factors, that is, social discrimination, social restriction and social integration, and the two GHQ-28 subscales, that is, anxiety/insomnia and social dysfunction, were significantly improved by the end of the training course.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this study provide evidence, with limitations, for the short-term effectiveness of the implemented educational MHP program on an adult group of recipients-key agents in their community. Because interventions for strengthening positive opinions about mental illness and enhancing self-assessed health constitute priority aims of mental health promotion, it would be beneficial to further investigate the sustainability of the observed positive changes. In addition it would be useful to examine (a) the possible interplay between the two outcome measures, that is, the effect of opinions of recipients about mental health on their perceived health, and (b) the applicability of this intervention in individuals with different sociodemographic profiles.</p>http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/10/1/33 |
| spellingShingle | Tomaras Vlassis D Ginieri-Coccossis Maria Vassiliadou Maria Malliori Melpomeni Ferentinos Spyros Soldatos Constantin R Tylee Andre Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health Annals of General Psychiatry |
| title | Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health |
| title_full | Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health |
| title_fullStr | Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health |
| title_short | Education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants' attitudes and perceived mental health |
| title_sort | education in mental health promotion and its impact on the participants attitudes and perceived mental health |
| url | http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/10/1/33 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tomarasvlassisd educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth AT giniericoccossismaria educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth AT vassiliadoumaria educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth AT malliorimelpomeni educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth AT ferentinosspyros educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth AT soldatosconstantinr educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth AT tyleeandre educationinmentalhealthpromotionanditsimpactontheparticipantsattitudesandperceivedmentalhealth |