ArticleBMC psychiatry2020
The potential impact of an anti-stigma intervention on mental health help-seeking attitudes among university students.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.
- Information and Communication Technology Interventions to Enhance Mental Health Literacy Among Young Adults and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of nursing practice · 2026Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators of older adults for professional mental health help-seeking: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2023Pooled it
- The help-seeking process and predictors of mental health care use among individuals with depressive symptoms: a machine learning approach.Frontiers in public health · 2024Trial
- Understanding Aotearoa New Zealand University Students Intentions to Seek Help If Experiencing Mental Distress: A Comparison of Naturalistic and Interventional Findings.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of a Brief Digitized Contact-Based Intervention in Improving Mental Health Stigma and Help-Seeking in Young Adults: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Recognition of mental disorders among the Singapore general population: an 8-year comparison.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- The role of digital mental health resources in encouraging help-seeking: A qualitative study of university students' experiences.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Article
- Perceived stigma, emotional resilience, and depressive/anxiety symptoms across school stages: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Understanding the Differences Between Online and Offline Mental Health Help Seekers: Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Why Young People With Eating Disorder Symptoms Do Not Seek Help-Exploring Barriers to Help-Seeking.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- How mental health status and attitudes toward mental health shape AI Acceptance in psychosocial care: a cross-sectional analysis.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Time Perspective, Psychological Well-Being and Attitudes to Seeking Mental Health Services in Russian Y and Z Generations.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Article
- Formal help-seeking among community-based Czech individuals with sexual interest in minors is associated with the perceived urgency of self-identified concerns.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Mental health and the role of social support in the lives of vulnerabilized sexual minority women.PloS one · 2025Article
- [Factors influencing the levels of fear regarding psychotherapy in adolescents with depression].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2024Article
- "This Is Me" an Awareness-Raising and Anti-Stigma Program for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Pre-Post Intervention Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
- The relationship between mental health literacy and professional psychological help-seeking behavior among Chinese college students: mediating roles of perceived social support and psychological help-seeking stigma.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder in the Gulf States: A Review of the Role of Electronic Enablers in Monitoring Residual Symptoms.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe reluctance of young adults to seek mental health treatment has been attributed to poor mental health literacy, stigma, preference for self-reliance and concerns about confidentiality. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential impact of an anti-stigma intervention that includes education about depression, information about help-seeking as well as contact with a person with lived experience, on help seeking attitudes.
methodsA pre-post study design was employed. Changes in help-seeking attitudes were measured using the Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS) immediately post-intervention and after 3 months. Sociodemographic data, information on past experiences in the mental health field and contact with people with mental illness were collated. Three hundred ninety university students enrolled in the study. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of the intervention.
resultsScores on all subscales of the IASMHS, Psychological Openness (PO), Help-seeking Propensity (HP) and Indifference to Stigma improved significantly post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up compared to pre-intervention, with HP demonstrating the highest effect size. However, a significant decline was observed on all three scales at 3-month follow-up compared to post-intervention. Gender, having friends/family with mental illness, and previous experience in the mental health field moderated the intervention effects for the PO and HP subscales.
conclusionThe study showed that the brief anti-stigma intervention was associated with improvements in help-seeking attitudes among university students with differential effects among certain sub-groups. As the beneficial outcomes appeared to decrease over time, booster sessions or opportunities to participate in mental health-related activities post-intervention may be required to maintain the desired changes in help-seeking attitudes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.