Confronting mental health stigma in Haitian Americans suffering from mental health challenges.

BACKGROUND: Haitian Americans have been disproportionately exposed to risk factors known to play a significant role in the development of mental illness. Yet despite the documented effectiveness of mental health treatment, a high proportion of Haitian Americans with mental health disorders have not received care. LOCAL PROBLEM: Internalized stigma of mental illness (ISMI) was reported as one of the primary reasons Haitian Americans do not seek help for mental illnesses, resulting in poor long-term outcomes for individuals and families in this community. This quality improvement project characterized ISMI among Haitian Americans, examined associated demographic factors, and tested the impact of a culturally relevant ISMI educational video intervention on willingness to seek mental health treatment. METHODS: Haitian Americans who self-reported mental illness ( N = 20) were recruited from a South Florida clinic. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and thematic analyses were completed to analyze the data. INTERVENTIONS: Participants completed the nine-item ISMI scale, watched an educational video about ISMI, completed a post-intervention survey, and engaged in conversations about mental health and ISMI. RESULTS: Sixty-five percent of participants reported mild levels of ISMI. Sex was significantly correlated with ISMI ( r = -0.458, p = .042); male participants experienced higher levels of ISMI. The educational video improved participants' knowledge of ISMI, and 85% indicated increased willingness to seek treatment. CONCLUSIONS: When caring for Haitian Americans with mental illnesses, nurse practitioners should initiate conversations about ISMI, consider gender differences in mental illness beliefs and attitudes, and provide culturally responsive psychoeducational interventions to promote more mental health treatment utilization.

Developing schools' capacities to respond to community crisis: the Tennessee initiative.

TOPIC: The development and implementation of a statewide initiative addressing mental health issues within schools postcrisis. PURPOSE: The potential for a community crisis occurs every day. After a crisis, schools are practical, logical, and effective places to help students recover from a tragedy. If crisis-related trauma is not addressed adequately, it can impact academic outcomes such as reading achievement, grade point average, and overall academic performance. For these reasons, it is imperative that school administrators support students in the aftermath of a crisis. CONCLUSIONS: This ongoing project continues in an effort to support students, faculty, and staff after a traumatic event within the Tennessee public school system.