Date of Award
10-2019
Culminating Project Type
Starred Paper
Degree Name
Special Education: M.S.
Department
Special Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Kyounghee Seo
Second Advisor
Bradley Kaffar
Third Advisor
Younsook Yeo
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
mental disorders, effect of stigma reduction programs
Abstract
Twenty percent of youth in the U.S have mental health issues. They suffer from the symptoms and people's stigma toward people with mental health issues at the same time. If schools provide stigma reduction programs, it will be helpful for students with and without mental health issues. The students with mental health issues will be able to adjust in society but also students without mental health issues will be able to understand people with mental health issues. The review of literature has twelve studies related to the effectiveness of programs aimed at reducing stigma for children with mental health issues in school settings. The paper consists of review of stigma reduction strategy adding mental health classes as regular curriculum, stigma reduction strategy using expert-led workshops, comparison of stigma reduction programs, and a review of meta-analysis of stigma reduction intervention. As a result, the 12 studies suggest the importance of a reduction stigma program. The studies showed that contact with people with mental health issues is the most effective strategy to reduce stigma toward people with mental health issues. A stigma reduction program is not only for the school and students, but also our society and the world. This study has limitations regarding boundaries between methods. Many strategies were blended together. Future studies must clarify the methods in detail. Reducing negative attitudes about mental illness and its treatment via educational interventions may remove barriers to accessing services for children experiencing emotional and behavioral problems.
Recommended Citation
Choi, Heejung, "The Effects of Stigma Reduction Programs for Students with Mental Health Issues" (2019). Culminating Projects in Special Education. 84.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/sped_etds/84
