Bella-Awusah T., Adedokun B., Dogra N., Omigbodun O.
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; Greenwood Institute for Child Health, Westcotes House, Wes
Bella-Awusah, T., Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; Adedokun, B., Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; Dogra, N., Greenwood Institute for Child Health, Westcotes House, Westcotes Drive, Leicester, United Kingdom; Omigbodun, O., Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
Objective: Available evidence suggests that children hold negative views about mental illness. Studies show that it is possible for schools and mental health services to jointly undertake child and adolescent mental health promotion. This study aimed to assess the impact of a school based mental health awareness programme aimed at increasing mental health literacy and reducing negative views about persons with mental illness. Methods: A total of 154 secondary school students in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, were allocated into an intervention and a control group. Students in the intervention group received a three-hour mental health awareness session. All students completed a pre-, immediate post, and six month post-intervention questionnaire on their views about mental health and illness. Results: There was a significant difference in the mean knowledge scores between the intervention and the control group post-intervention, but no significant differences in attitude and social distance scores. Conclusion: Brief training workshops appear able to produce small but positive changes in the mental health knowledge of young Nigerians. Copyright © NISC Pty Ltd.
adolescent; age distribution; Article; attitude to health; awareness; controlled study; female; health education; health program; high school; human; knowledge; major clinical study; male; mental disease; mental health; Nigeria; perception; questionnaire; rural area; schizophrenia; social distance; teaching; urban area; attitude to health; child; education; health education; mental disease; procedures; program evaluation; psychology; rural population; statistics and numerical data; student; urban population; Adolescent; Child; Education; Female; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Nigeria; Program Evaluation; Questionnaires; Rural Population; Students; Urban Population