Increasing resiliency and reducing mental illness stigma in post-secondary students: A meta-analytic evaluation of the inquiring mind program

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. ahead-of-print; no. ahead-of-print; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Szeto, Andrew C. H., Henderson, Laura, Lindsay, Brittany L., Knaak, Stephanie, Dobson, Keith S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01-12-2023; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Attitude Change; Canada; Clinical trials; College Students; Consciousness Raising; Effect Size; Foreign Countries; Health education; Health needs; Health Programs; Health Promotion; Health status; Help Seeking; Help seeking behavior; Humans; Illnesses; Mental Disorders; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental health; Mental Health Programs; Mental health promotion; Mental health services; mental illness; Meta Analysis; post-secondary students; Program Effectiveness; Resilience; Resilience (Psychology); resiliency; Social Bias; Social Stigma; Stigma; stigma reduction; Student Attitudes; Students; Students - psychology; Universities; Canada; resiliency; stigma; mental illness; stigma reduction; post-secondary students; Mental health
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.2007112

Objective: Worsening student mental health, along with more complex mental illness presentation and increased access to campus mental health services, has led to a mental health "crisis" on campuses. One way to address student mental health needs may be through mental health programs which have been found to increase resiliency and help-seeking, and reduce stigma. Participants: The effectiveness of The Inquiring Mind (TIM), a mental health promotion and mental illness stigma reduction program, was examined in 810 students from 16 Canadian post-secondary institutions. Methods and Results: Using a meta-analytic approach, TIM improved resiliency and decreased stigmatizing attitudes from pre to post, with medium effect sizes (d > .50). Analyses with those that completed the follow-up (about one-third of the sample) showed that effects were mostly retained at three months. Other outcomes also point to the program's effectiveness. Conclusion: TIM appears to be an effective program for post-secondary students. However, additional research, including randomized control trials, is needed to address study limitations.