College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Defense - Yaa Brago
College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Defense - Yaa Brago
Title: An Educational Intervention to Reduce Mental Health Stigma and Promote Mental Health Access Behaviors Among Ghanaian Immigrants
Date: April 17th
Time: 4:00 PM
ZOOM: Please contact dhoffman@umassd.edu for link
Committee:
- Dr. David Asante
- Dr. Christine Bell
- Dr. Ilknur Yesilcinar
Abstract:
Mental health stigma and structural barriers significantly limit mental health service utilization among Ghanaian immigrants, a community that underutilizes mental health services at rates far below the general U.S. population. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally tailored, church-based educational intervention in reducing internalized mental health stigma and improving help-seeking attitudes among Ghanaian immigrants affiliated with a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church in Grand Prairie, Texas. Using a pre-test/post-test design, 39 adult participants completed the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI-9) and the Mental Help-Seeking Attitudes Scale (MHSAS) before and immediately after a 20-minute educational session delivered by the student investigator. The intervention was grounded in the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice (JHNEBP) Model and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT).
Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in mental health help-seeking attitudes (Wilcoxon signed-rank test: V = 90.50, z = −2.16, p = .031), with MHSAS mean scores shifting from 5.99 (SD = 1.53) pre-intervention to 6.60 (SD = 0.97) post-intervention. No statistically significant change in internalized stigma was detected (ISMI-9: t(38) = −1.00, p = .322), consistent with literature indicating that stigma reduction requires more sustained, multi-session interventions. Findings support the integration of faith-embedded, culturally congruent psychoeducation into community mental health strategies and have implications for nursing practice, education, and policy. Future research should incorporate larger samples, longitudinal designs, and multi-session formats to strengthen and sustain outcomes.
Keywords: mental health stigma, Ghanaian immigrants, help-seeking attitudes, educational intervention, faith-based intervention, culturally tailored, ISMI-9, MHSAS
ZOOM
Deanna Hoffman
dhoffman@umassd.edu