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INDIGO-LOCAL:

Reducing stigma and improving access to care for people with mental health conditions in the community

Leads: Dr Maya Semrau, Dr Nicole Votruba

This was a feasibility (proof-of-principle) study that involved developing, implementing and evaluating a community-based, multi-component, public awareness-raising intervention (titled Indigo-Local), which was designed to reduce stigma and discrimination and to increase referrals of people with mental health conditions for assessment and treatment. 

The Indigo-Local intervention included several key components: (1) a stakeholder group workshop; (2) a stepped training programme (using a ‘Training of Trainers’ approach) of community health workers (or similar cadres of workers) and service users that included repeated supervision and booster sessions; (3) community engagement activities; and (4) a media campaign. The main aim of the campaign was to reduce stigma in the community and increase uptake of mental health services by challenging public misconceptions around mental illness. Social contact and service user involvement were instrumental to all components.

The intervention was evaluated through a mixed-methods pre-post study that involved:

  1. quantitative assessment of stigma outcomes measuring knowledge, attitudes, intended/expected (discriminatory) behaviour, and stress;
  2. quantitative evaluation of mental health service utilization rates (where feasible in sites), including total number of new referrals to mental health services by community health workers, total uptake of mental health services, and contact coverage;
  3. qualitative evaluation to assess the process and experience of implementation of the intervention components including training;
  4. a process evaluation;
  5. implementation evaluation; and
  6. an evaluation of implementation costs.

 

Full protocol: Semrau et al., 2024: Reducing stigma and improving access to care for people with mental health conditions in the community: protocol for a multi-site feasibility intervention study (Indigo-Local)

Select intervention materials for Indigo Local will be available in the  ‘Measures and Other Resources’ section.

Evaluation results will be added to the Publications section