Curriculum program to promote mental health literacy: Students’ evaluation of the intervention Unterrichtsprogramm zur Forderung von Mental Health Literacy: Bewertung der Intervention durch Schuler:innen

摘要

Background: The relevance of mental health literacy (MHL) for youth as a?supporting factor for dealing with mental health problems and illness has been stressed. Therefore, strengthening MHL becomes a?focus of preventive interventions. As there are hardly any MHL programs in Germany, a?Canadian program was adapted, implemented and evaluated. The program’s effectiveness has been documented internationally (e.g., in terms of increased knowledge and stigma reduction); however, there are no reports of how the program was perceived by the target group. The present study focuses on the students’ perception of the program to examine whether the program is suitable for German students. Objective: The students’ perception of the program is presented in terms of its acceptability, appropriateness, and needs based adequacy. Material and methods: The adapted German version of the program was piloted and evaluated in schools in Bielefeld, Germany. Participating students rated the program by answering program-specific questions. Results: On average students of the nine participating classes positively rated the overall program, different program aspects and its relevance to students of the same age. Additionally, the evaluation of open-ended statements confirms that the program addresses students’ needs and interests regarding the topic of mental health as well as its ability to reach students of the heterogeneous sample. Conclusion: The results suggest that the adapted program is suitable for students in German schools. Further studies are needed to consolidate these findings. Moreover, program evaluations should consider the perception of the target group, as this provides insights into the acceptance and adaptation needs of the program.