Impact of a Mental Health Curriculum for High School Students on Knowledge and Stigma

September 24, 2015 updated by: Robert Milin, University of Ottawa

Youth Mental Health Awareness Study and Early Intervention Research Project

This study examines the effectiveness of a school based mental health literacy intervention for high school students, on improving mental health knowledge and reducing stigma. Twenty-four high schools in the regional area of Ottawa, Canada were randomly assigned to either the curriculum or control condition at a two to one ratio. The educational curriculum was integrated within grade 11 and 12 Provincial "Healthy Living" courses, delivered by teachers, and replaced existing educational content on mental health.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

There is limited evidence and consensus on the effectiveness of school-based mental health educational programs, and no standardization for mental health education being taught in schools. This study examines the effectiveness of a school-based mental health literacy intervention for adolescents, on knowledge and stigma. A secondary objective was to determine the generalizability and applicability of an educational resource for mental health in high schools.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

534

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 19 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Students enrolled in the Healthy Living course of participating Ottawa area community high schools.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Students not enrolled in the Healthy Living course of participating Ottawa area community high schools.
  • Students with an English reading and comprehension level lower than the sixth grade

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Curriculum

The curriculum is a mental health literacy resource designed to inform high school curricula and contains six distinct modules: 1) stigma of mental illness; 2) understanding mental health and mental illness; 3) information on specific mental illnesses; 4) experiences of mental illness; 5) seeking help and finding support; and 6) the importance of positive mental health.

A research assistant trained teachers on The Curriculum Guide content in a half-day session. Teachers implemented The Curriculum Guide, which requires approximately 6 hours of classroom time, during regular instruction of the Healthy Living course.
Behavioral: Curriculum
A mental health educational resource delivered in the classroom by trained educators
Other Names:
  • The Curriculum Guide
Active Comparator: Curriculum +eLearning Follow-up

The curriculum is a mental health literacy resource designed to inform high school curricula and contains six distinct modules: 1) stigma of mental illness; 2) understanding mental health and mental illness; 3) information on specific mental illnesses; 4) experiences of mental illness; 5) seeking help and finding support; and 6) the importance of positive mental health.

A research assistant trained teachers on The Curriculum Guide content in a half-day session. Teachers implemented The Curriculum Guide, which requires approximately 6 hours of classroom time, during regular instruction of the Healthy Living course. Students are asked to complete follow-up modules online. These modules are only accessible after completion of the Healthy Living course.
Behavioral: Curriculum
A mental health educational resource delivered in the classroom by trained educators
Other Names:
  • The Curriculum Guide
Behavioral: eLearning Follow-up
An online mental health education module that students access individually
Other Names:
  • online follow-up learning module
No Intervention: Teaching As Usual (Control)
Schools randomized to this arm of the study received the unadulterated Healthy Living course, taught as usual.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-Report Knowledge of Mental Illness Scale
Time Frame: Immediately following completed delivery of The Curriculum Guide
15 multiple choice questions about mental illness computed to provide a total score of mental health knowledge for each participant
Immediately following completed delivery of The Curriculum Guide
Self-Report Attitudes Towards Mental Illness Scale
Time Frame: Immediately following completed delivery of The Curriculum Guide
A Likert scale of 8 statements about characteristics of individuals with mental illness computed to provide a total score of positive attitudes towards mental illness for each participant
Immediately following completed delivery of The Curriculum Guide

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Ottawa

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Robert P Milin, MD, Associate Professor

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 18, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 24, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

September 28, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 28, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 24, 2015

Last Verified

September 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2010011

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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