Mental Health Awareness and Impact of Training Program Among School Teachers: Quasi-Experimental Design

Abstract

The present quasi-experimental paper aimed to assess the impact of the developed, structured mental health literacy training program on Teachers’. It was delivered for the eight weekly sessions and was designed to improve the teachers’ knowledge regarding MHIs, risk factors, and supportive strategies. The sample comprised forty-eight educators from government and private schools, split and matched equally between the control and the experimental groups. Knowledge and attitude concerning mental health and mental health illness among the participants was assessed before and after the intervention. The results revealed significant improvement in the knowledge level of the experimental group related to mental health based on Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and reduction in the stigma level based on the Beliefs Towards Mental Illness Scale (BMI). The control group showed less improvement in their knowledge of mental health illness, risk factors, and seeking professional help than the intervention group. The study found an overall increase in attitudes promoting seeking help, which has shown that the training reduced perceptions that contributed to stigma and developed a positive culture for mental health in teachers.