Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy (MHAA) for Youth: An Evaluation of a College-Based Mental Health Literacy Curriculum
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Mental Health & Prevention
Volume
23
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Publication Date
9-1-2021
First Page
1
Last Page
8
Abstract
Purpose College students’ mental health issues are a growing concern on campuses across the United States. With traditional face-to-face therapy services often being overburdened, university systems have invested resources into prevention based, health education approaches to decreasing students’ mental health issues. Despite investment, there is not, to our knowledge, an evidence-based curriculum taught as part of a degree seeking program that addresses increasing students’ mental health literacy (MHL). Accordingly, the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy (MHAA) curriculum was created and evaluated in a college student population. Methods A total of 161 college students (n= 89 control; n= 71 treatment) participated in a quasi-experimental comparison X treatment X modality design. MHL (The Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy Assessment Tool and other related MHL measures) was assessed at two time points (beginning/end of semester). Generalized linear mixed effect models were used to analyze outcomes. Results Results of the pilot study indicated that students taking the MHAA curriculum, both in-person and online modalities, significantly increased key components of MHL (knowledge and self-efficacy) compared to the control group. MHL behaviors did not change in either group. There were no significant modality differences. Conclusion We conclude that the MHAA curriculum is useful in increasing students’ mental health literacy with no significant differences between online and in-person modalities. Future curriculum iterations may benefit from more strategically targeting MHL behaviors to further enhance effects of the course on prevention of mental health issues.
Recommended Citation
*Aller, T., Fauth, E. B., & Seedall, R. B. (2021). Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy (MHAA) for Youth: An evaluation of a college-based mental health literacy curriculum. Mental Health & Prevention, 23(1), 1-8.
