Early Interventions in Mental Health Disorders

Details
Title
Early Interventions in Mental Health Disorders
Usage & Reproduction Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
Video recording
URI / Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/1961/muislandora:2981
Created
2015-01-01T00:00:00Z
Abstract
Early intervention increases positive outcomes in mental health disorders, yet little is known about the characteristics of people most likely to intervene. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a person’s level of knowledge of mental health disorders would influence their willingness to intervene in a hypothetical scenario. There were two hypotheses in this study: 1. People with a higher level of knowledge of mental health disorders will have more positive perceptions of people with mental health disorders. 2. A higher level of knowledge of mental health disorders is correlated with a greater willingness to intervene. There is significant stigma around mental health disorders, yet research shows that if people are treated early, their outcomes are vastly improved. In trying to highlight the variables associated with individuals most likely to intervene, we hope to identify who the “ideal” intervener might be. This study surveyed 98 Marymount University students regarding their perceptions and knowledge of mental health disorders. The survey consisted of three parts: (a) perceptions of mental health disorders, using a 5-point Likert Scale (adapted from Aromaa, Tolvanen, Tuulari, and Wahlbeck (2011)); (b) knowledge of the symptoms associated with specific disorders; and (c) vignettes of typical or atypical chosen disorders, including anorexia nervosa, depression and schizophrenia. Hypothesis 1: Supported Results of a One-Way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of knowledge on perceptions of mental health disorders (F (2, 96) = 2.59 p = .08). Those with lower levels of knowledge had lower perceptions than those with a moderate level of knowledge. Extremely knowledgeable participants had lower perceptions than all other groups, possibly attributable to reduced sample size in this group. Hypothesis 2: Not Significant Results of a Pearson Product Moment Correlation revealed a no significant relationship between level of knowledge and willingness to intervene in mental health disorders. By acknowledging differences amongst the level of familiarity with mental health, people can begin to realize their own prejudices towards those with mental health disorders and ultimately, destigmatize these disorders to get people the help that is needed. By gathering the baseline level of knowledge of the population, we’ve learned that knowledge truly is power in combating negative stereotypes relating to mental health.

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