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- Title
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Mental Health Literacy Programme for Refugee Teachers in Malaysia.
- Authors
Kok Wai TAY; Wen Huey ONG, Anna; Kai Shuen PHEH; Sew Kim LOW; Chee Seng TAN; Poi Kee LOW
- Abstract
Background: Children and young refugees often experience negative events that affect their mental health. Their caregivers may also be in the same predicament, implying that the teachers in schools are a potential source of help and support. However, most teachers have little understanding of mental health and are, thus, clueless in helping their students. To address this need, a newly developed one-day mental health literacy programme was conducted among 68 refugee teachers in Malaysia. Methods: Participants learned the symptoms of mental health issues among children and adolescents in the context of post-trauma, provision of early intervention, and channel for professional supports. They also answered a packet of measurements of mental health literacy before and after the programme. Results: The paired sample t-test showed that participants reported higher willingness to contact with people having mental health problems (t = 2.787, P = 0.008, Cohen's d = 0.394), less stereotypes toward mental illness (t = 4.603, P < 0.001, d = 0.651) and a better understanding of self-help strategies (t = 2.16, P = .036, d = 0.322) than baseline. Conclusion: The results of this study offered preliminary empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the programme as a promising channel for alleviating mental health issues among refugees.
- Subjects
MALAYSIA; INTERPERSONAL relations; MENTAL health; PSYCHOLOGY of refugees; HEALTH self-care; STEREOTYPES; T-test (Statistics); PSYCHOLOGY of teachers; UNITED Nations; WOUNDS &; injuries; HUMAN services programs; HEALTH literacy; EARLY medical intervention; EVALUATION of human services programs; ATTITUDES toward mental illness; PSYCHOLOGICAL factors
- Publication
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2019, Vol 26, Issue 6, p120
- ISSN
1394-195X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.21315/mjms2019.26.6.12