Mental Health Literacy and Help-Seeking Behavior Among Adolescents in Assiut City: An Interventional Study
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 尚未招募
- 入组人数
- 150
- 主要终点
- Change in Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) Total Score
研究概览
简要总结
This study examines mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors among adolescents aged 13-18 years in Assiut City, Egypt. Mental health problems are common among young people, but many adolescents do not seek professional help when they need it. This is often due to low mental health literacy (not understanding mental health problems or knowing where to get help), stigma (negative attitudes toward mental illness), and fears about confidentiality or being judged.
The study has two parts:
Part 1 - Assessment Phase: Researchers will survey approximately 270 students from preparatory and secondary schools in Assiut to understand their current levels of mental health literacy, stigma, and willingness to seek help for mental health problems. Students will complete validated questionnaires that measure their knowledge about mental health, their attitudes toward peers with mental health problems, and their intentions to seek help from various sources.
Part 2 - Intervention Phase: In a randomized controlled trial involving 150 students (75 in an intervention group and 75 in a control group), researchers will test whether a brief educational program can improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and increase help-seeking intentions. The intervention consists of three weekly classroom sessions covering: (1) mental health literacy - basic concepts, common problems in adolescents like stress and anxiety, recognizing symptoms; (2) stigma reduction - understanding how negative labels hurt people, recognizing public and self-stigma, using respectful language; and (3) help-seeking behavior - knowing when to seek help, understanding formal and informal help sources, overcoming barriers, and learning about local resources in Assiut.
Students in both groups will complete questionnaires before the intervention and one month after completion. The control group will not receive the educational sessions during the study period. Researchers will compare changes in mental health knowledge, stigma levels, and help-seeking attitudes between the two groups to determine whether the program is effective.
The study aims to address a critical gap in mental health services for adolescents in Upper Egypt by improving young people's understanding of mental health and encouraging them to seek appropriate help when needed.
详细描述
Background and Rationale:
Mental health problems among adolescents represent a significant public health burden worldwide and in Egypt. Studies among Egyptian secondary school and university students show high prevalence of depression (32.5%), anxiety (45.2%), and psychological distress (65-70%). Despite this burden, most adolescents do not seek professional help due to low mental health literacy, stigma, and lack of awareness of available services. Existing Egyptian research focuses primarily on urban university students, leaving a critical evidence gap for younger school-aged adolescents, particularly in underserved regions like Upper Egypt.
Study Design:
This is a two-phase study combining cross-sectional assessment and a randomized controlled trial.
Phase 1 - Cross-Sectional Assessment (n=270):
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Prevention
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 13 Years 至 18 Years（Child, Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Adolescents aged 13-18 years.
- •Enrolled in selected schools in Assiut city
排除标准
- •Documented severe intellectual disability or learning difficulty that, in the judgement of school staff, would prevent understanding of the intervention content or valid questionnaire completion.
- •Current acute medical or psychiatric emergency at the time of data collection as identified by school or health-center staff.
- •Refusal of participation by the student, or absence of parental consent.
研究组 & 干预措施
Mental Health Literacy Educational Program
Participants receive a brief school-based educational intervention consisting of three structured classroom sessions delivered over 3 consecutive weeks. Session 1 covers mental health literacy (basic concepts, common adolescent mental health problems, signs/symptoms, myths vs facts). Session 2 addresses stigma reduction (public stigma, self-stigma, respectful language). Session 3 focuses on help-seeking behavior (informal vs formal help sources, barriers, local resources in Assiut, role-play activities). Each session includes 30-40 minutes of teaching plus 10 minutes of discussion/activities. Pre-test and post-test assessments (MHLS, PMHSS, GHSQ, ATSPPH, SDQ) are administered before the intervention and 1 month after completion.
干预措施: School-Based Mental Health Literacy Educational Program (Behavioral)
No Intervention Control
Participants receive no educational intervention during the study period. They continue with their regular school activities without any mental health literacy sessions. Pre-test and post-test assessments using the same validated questionnaires (Mental Health Literacy Scale, Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale, General Help-Seeking Questionnaire, Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) are administered at the same time points as the intervention group: before the intervention period begins and 1 month after the intervention group completes the three sessions.
结局指标
主要结局
Change in Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) Total Score
时间窗: 1 month after completion of the intervention program
Change in total score on the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), a validated 35-item Arabic questionnaire that measures knowledge and understanding of mental health disorders, including recognition of disorders, knowledge of professional help sources, knowledge of self-help strategies, attitudes promoting appropriate help-seeking, knowledge of prevention, and ability to find and use mental health information. Items are scored on Likert scales. Higher total scores indicate greater mental health literacy. Change is calculated as post-intervention score minus baseline score.
次要结局
- Change in Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale (PMHSS) Score(1 month after completion of the intervention program)
研究者
Mireille Maged Emile Hanna
Assistant Lecturer at the Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University
Assiut University