Improving Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Among the Hmong

Abstract

Background: One in five adults in the United States suffers from mental illness. Negative social influences in the Hmong community stigmatize those who have mental health challenges and mental health outcomes are impacted by poor mental health literacy. Language barriers, conflicting traditional beliefs, and Western concepts of health contribute to low mental health literacy and willingness to seek professional mental health services among the Hmong. Aims: The aim of this project was to successfully implement Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) to a group of 30 or more Hmong adult church leaders in a faith-based setting. Methods: A pretest posttest project design was used. The project implementation process was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model and took place from June 2023 to August 2023. Participants were recruited from three local Detroit Hmong churches. Indicator measures included the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI) Scale before and immediately after training. One final survey was administered at 6 weeks post MHFA training to measure information retention, stigma, and utilization of MHFA skills. Results: Results reflect the existing body of literature regarding MHFA and the positive impacts on mental health literacy, confidence level, mental health awareness, and decreasing stigma. Conclusion: MHFA continues to demonstrate successful implementation across many settings and populations, especially for this project among Hmong adult church leaders. More research is needed to expand on mental health and the Hmong.