The effect of mental health literacy training given to primary care family health workers on stigmatization: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: There is stigma and a lack of information about individuals with mental illness among primary health care providers worldwide. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a brief online training program on the mental health literacy, beliefs, and attitudes of family health workers who provide primary health care services. Method: This study has a two-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled design. The study involves 252 individuals who were randomly assigned to different groups. By the end of the study, 82 individuals in the intervention group and 89 individuals in the control group participated in the evaluation. Measurements: Evaluations were performed twice for both groups via pre-tests and post-tests after 3 months of follow-up following the training. The assessment utilized the Mental Health Literacy, Beliefs About Mental Illnesses, and Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness Scales. The intervention tool of the study is mental health literacy training designed for family health workers who provide primary care services and implemented online. Results: Data from 171 family health workers were analyzed. The mental health literacy, belief, and attitude scale scores of the participating family health workers were found to be at a moderate level. The educational intervention significantly improved mental health knowledge (p=0.029) and goodwill scores (p=0.007) in the intervention group, while reducing the perception of danger (p=0.044). Discussion: The level of post-graduation mental health training among family health workers is low, and a significant portion are unsure whether their duties include the provision of mental health services. Primary care family health workers could benefit from a brief online training program focused on mental health literacy.