From stigma to support: Assessing the impact of school mental health literacy program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
7 affiliations
- 1Teaching and Training Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
- 2Center for International Health CIHLMU, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- 4Clinton Health Access Initiative-Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- 5Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- 6Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- 7African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
Mental health stigma remains a major barrier due to limited mental health promotion and care among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), due to a lack of mental health literacy, sociocultural beliefs, and misconceptions which contribute to delayed help-seeking and poor mental health outcomes. In Ethiopia, stigma surrounding mental illness can result in social exclusion, discrimination, and abandonment by family members. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted, school-based mental health literacy and anti-stigma intervention among secondary school students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The intervention was culturally adapted in collaboration with local mental health experts and adolescent students to ensure relevance to the Ethiopian context. Using a train-the-trainer approach, seven school nurses and health extension workers were trained to deliver the intervention to 186 students across four secondary schools. Implemented over one week, the intervention utilized three components: (1) an interactive mental health literacy curriculum delivered through PowerPoint presentations and participatory activities, (2) a contact-based session involving a person with lived experience of mental illness, and (3) mental health promotion materials, including posters and bookmarks displaying anti-stigma messages. Outcomes were assessed using self-administered questionnaires completed before the intervention and three weeks after its completion. Following the intervention, students demonstrated improved mental health knowledge and more positive attitudes toward mental illness (t(185) = 8.67, p < 0.001). Social distance, avoidance, and discomfort toward individuals with mental health problems were reduced, while intentions to seek help increased, with participants reporting greater willingness to seek support from formal and informal sources. These findings suggest that a culturally adapted, school-based mental health literacy and anti-stigma intervention was associated with improving adolescents’ mental health knowledge, reduce stigmatizing attitudes, and strengthening help-seeking intentions. Such interventions represent a promising strategy for supporting adolescent mental health and addressing stigma in Ethiopia and other LMIC settings.
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BibTeX
@article{veliaminova2026from,
title = {{From stigma to support: Assessing the impact of school mental health literacy program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia}},
author = {Lidia Veliaminova and Surafel Worku Megersa and Finina Abebe Ware and Paula Gerbig and Sandra Dehning and Eshetu Girma and Andrea Jobst},
journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0007153},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007153},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - From stigma to support: Assessing the impact of school mental health literacy program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
AU - Lidia Veliaminova
AU - Surafel Worku Megersa
AU - Finina Abebe Ware
AU - Paula Gerbig
AU - Sandra Dehning
AU - Eshetu Girma
AU - Andrea Jobst
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - PLOS Global Public Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007153
UR - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007153
AB - Mental health stigma remains a major barrier due to limited mental health promotion and care among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), due to a lack of mental health literacy, sociocultural beliefs, and misconceptions which contribute to delayed help-seeking and poor mental health outcomes. In Ethiopia, stigma surrounding mental illness can result in social exclusion, discrimination, and abandonment by family members. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted, school-based mental health literacy and anti-stigma intervention among secondary school students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The intervention was culturally adapted in collaboration with local mental health experts and adolescent students to ensure relevance to the Ethiopian context. Using a train-the-trainer approach, seven school nurses and health extension workers were trained to deliver the intervention to 186 students across four secondary schools. Implemented over one week, the intervention utilized three components: (1) an interactive mental health literacy curriculum delivered through PowerPoint presentations and participatory activities, (2) a contact-based session involving a person with lived experience of mental illness, and (3) mental health promotion materials, including posters and bookmarks displaying anti-stigma messages. Outcomes were assessed using self-administered questionnaires completed before the intervention and three weeks after its completion. Following the intervention, students demonstrated improved mental health knowledge and more positive attitudes toward mental illness (t(185) = 8.67, p < 0.001). Social distance, avoidance, and discomfort toward individuals with mental health problems were reduced, while intentions to seek help increased, with participants reporting greater willingness to seek support from formal and informal sources. These findings suggest that a culturally adapted, school-based mental health literacy and anti-stigma intervention was associated with improving adolescents’ mental health knowledge, reduce stigmatizing attitudes, and strengthening help-seeking intentions. Such interventions represent a promising strategy for supporting adolescent mental health and addressing stigma in Ethiopia and other LMIC settings.
SN - 2767-3375
ER -