Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review

Objectives Increasing access to mental health support is a key factor for treating mental disorders, however, important barriers complicate help-seeking, among them, mental health related stigma being most prominent. We aimed to systematically review the current evidence for interventions focusing o...

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Main Authors: Ella Arensman, Gentiana Qirjako, Birgit Aust, Grace Cully, Mónika Ditta Tóth, Sarah Ihionvien, Caleb Leduc, Benedikt L Amann, Johanna Cresswell-Smith, Hanna Reich, Sarita Sanches, Naim Fanaj, Fotini Tsantila, Victoria Ross, Sharna Mathieu, Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, György Purebl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-02-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/2/e067126.full
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author Ella Arensman
Gentiana Qirjako
Birgit Aust
Grace Cully
Mónika Ditta Tóth
Sarah Ihionvien
Caleb Leduc
Benedikt L Amann
Johanna Cresswell-Smith
Hanna Reich
Sarita Sanches
Naim Fanaj
Fotini Tsantila
Victoria Ross
Sharna Mathieu
Arlinda Cerga Pashoja
György Purebl
author_facet Ella Arensman
Gentiana Qirjako
Birgit Aust
Grace Cully
Mónika Ditta Tóth
Sarah Ihionvien
Caleb Leduc
Benedikt L Amann
Johanna Cresswell-Smith
Hanna Reich
Sarita Sanches
Naim Fanaj
Fotini Tsantila
Victoria Ross
Sharna Mathieu
Arlinda Cerga Pashoja
György Purebl
author_sort Ella Arensman
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Increasing access to mental health support is a key factor for treating mental disorders, however, important barriers complicate help-seeking, among them, mental health related stigma being most prominent. We aimed to systematically review the current evidence for interventions focusing on reducing stigma related to mental health problems in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design Systematic review with a focus on interventions targeting mental health related stigma in the workplace in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The methodological quality of included articles was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies Scale.Data sources PubMed, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane databases and Google Scholar were searched from January 2010 until November 2022.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies We included experimental or quasi-experimental studies about workplace interventions aiming to reduce stigma, where the outcomes were measured in terms of stigmatisation against depression, anxiety and/or other mental health problems.Data extraction and synthesis Records were screened by two independent reviewers after inspecting titles and abstracts and a full-text read of the articles to assess whether they meet inclusion criteria. The results were synthesised narratively.Results We identified 22 intervention studies, 3 with high quality, 13 with moderate quality and 6 with weak quality. Only 2 studies included SMEs, but no study focused on SMEs exclusively . The mode of delivery of the intervention was face to face in 15 studies, online in 4 studies and mixed in 3 studies. We found a significant reduction in stigmatising attitudes in almost all studies (20/22), using 10 different instruments/scales. Effects seemed to be independent of company size. Online interventions were found to be shorter, but seemed to be as effective as face-to-face interventions.Conclusions Although we did not find interventions focusing exclusively on SMEs, it is likely that antistigma interventions also will work in smaller workplaces.Trial registration PROSPERO: ID: CRD42020191307
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spelling doaj-art-61eaf6601dbf4b828f31c1b17ffceb7c2025-08-20T03:02:03ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-02-0113210.1136/bmjopen-2022-067126Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic reviewElla Arensman0Gentiana Qirjako1Birgit Aust2Grace Cully3Mónika Ditta Tóth4Sarah Ihionvien5Caleb Leduc6Benedikt L Amann7Johanna Cresswell-Smith8Hanna Reich9Sarita Sanches10Naim Fanaj11Fotini Tsantila12Victoria Ross13Sharna Mathieu14Arlinda Cerga Pashoja15György Purebl16National Suicide Research Foundation, Cork, Cork, IrelandDepartment of Public Health, University of Medicine, Tirana, AlbaniaDet Nationale Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmiljø, Kobenhavn, DenmarkSchool of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandInstitute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HungaryInstitute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HungarySchool of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandCentro Fórum Research Unit, Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions (INAD), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, SpainFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, FinlandGerman Foundation for Research and Education on Depression, Leipzig, GermanyPhrenos Center of Expertise for Severe Mental Illness, Utrecht, The NetherlandsMental Health Center, PRIZREN, Kosovo, AlbaniaLUCAS, Centre for Care Research and Consultancy, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumAustralian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaAustralian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London, UKInstitute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HungaryObjectives Increasing access to mental health support is a key factor for treating mental disorders, however, important barriers complicate help-seeking, among them, mental health related stigma being most prominent. We aimed to systematically review the current evidence for interventions focusing on reducing stigma related to mental health problems in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design Systematic review with a focus on interventions targeting mental health related stigma in the workplace in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The methodological quality of included articles was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies Scale.Data sources PubMed, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane databases and Google Scholar were searched from January 2010 until November 2022.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies We included experimental or quasi-experimental studies about workplace interventions aiming to reduce stigma, where the outcomes were measured in terms of stigmatisation against depression, anxiety and/or other mental health problems.Data extraction and synthesis Records were screened by two independent reviewers after inspecting titles and abstracts and a full-text read of the articles to assess whether they meet inclusion criteria. The results were synthesised narratively.Results We identified 22 intervention studies, 3 with high quality, 13 with moderate quality and 6 with weak quality. Only 2 studies included SMEs, but no study focused on SMEs exclusively . The mode of delivery of the intervention was face to face in 15 studies, online in 4 studies and mixed in 3 studies. We found a significant reduction in stigmatising attitudes in almost all studies (20/22), using 10 different instruments/scales. Effects seemed to be independent of company size. Online interventions were found to be shorter, but seemed to be as effective as face-to-face interventions.Conclusions Although we did not find interventions focusing exclusively on SMEs, it is likely that antistigma interventions also will work in smaller workplaces.Trial registration PROSPERO: ID: CRD42020191307https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/2/e067126.full
spellingShingle Ella Arensman
Gentiana Qirjako
Birgit Aust
Grace Cully
Mónika Ditta Tóth
Sarah Ihionvien
Caleb Leduc
Benedikt L Amann
Johanna Cresswell-Smith
Hanna Reich
Sarita Sanches
Naim Fanaj
Fotini Tsantila
Victoria Ross
Sharna Mathieu
Arlinda Cerga Pashoja
György Purebl
Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review
BMJ Open
title Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review
title_full Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review
title_fullStr Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review
title_short Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace: a systematic review
title_sort evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce mental health related stigma in the workplace a systematic review
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/2/e067126.full
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