Reducing Stigma Toward Mental Illness and Substance Use Issues in Primary Health Care in Chile

Summary

This research project aims to determine the effectiveness of a comprehensive anti-stigma intervention in reducing stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours among Primary Health Care (PHC) providers toward individuals with mental illness and/or substance use issues (MISUI) in the Chilean context, using Centros de de Salud Familiar (CESFAMs) as the point of intervention.

Conditions

• Mental Health
• Substance Abuse
• Stigmatization

Interventions

OTHER

Developing teams of Local Leaders

A team of local leaders, consisting of 3-5 PHC providers and 1-2 users at each CESFAM will be developed in months 1-3 of the intervention.The teams will comprise some individuals who have provided critical support and input, including participating in the exploratory research phase and the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) adaptation of the intervention framework for the Chilean context developed previously. The teams will assist with the data collection process throughout the study by encouraging colleagues to complete questionnaires and recruit users, as well as oversee and implement the intervention at their respective CESFAM. They will receive training to develop their skills as leaders and support the implementation process at their respective CESFAM.

OTHER

Analysis of Internal Policies, Procedures and Protocols

This component involves evaluating CESFAM policies, procedures, and protocols using an anti-stigma/pro-recovery approach to identify strengths and areas for improvement in service delivery for individuals affected by MISUI. This will be completed using a policy analysis tool based on existing frameworks, such as the Health Equity Impact Assessment Tool (PHO \& OMHLTC, 2012) and the QualityRights Toolkit (WHO, 2012). At least 5 policies, procedures, or protocols to be analyzed will be selected by the local leaders at intervention CESFAM during months 3-6 of the intervention. Recommendations concerning health equity, prevention of stigma, and promotion of recoveryoriented practices for individuals with MISUI will be developed and shared following analysis. Each intervention CESFAM will be expected to implement at least one recommendation and make the necessary efforts to educate PHC providers about the policy change in months 7-18 of the intervention.

OTHER

Raising Awareness

Various forms of media will be used to raise awareness about stigma related to MISUI among PHC providers and users. Local leaders at intervention CESFAM will determine the type of media they would like to use; this may include images, film, music, or a combination of media. The research team will work with local leaders to develop messaging to include in the media and assist with showcasing these pieces within each intervention CESFAM. This component will be implemented throughout the intervention (intervention months 1-18). Depending on the type of media, instances of use will be tracked accordingly. For example with posters, data on the number of posters posted at a CESFAM over what time period and an estimation of the number of PHC providers and users who have viewed the posters will be collected.

OTHER

Innovative Contact-Based Education

Educational workshops will include anti-stigma and recovery principles, along with specific MISUI topics relevant to PHC providers. This will be determined by findings from the exploratory phase, current research, best practices, and the perspectives of local leaders. It may include (1) supporting CESFAM PHC providers in preventing stigma and promoting recovery in their practice and (2) enhancing the competencies of CESFAM PHC providers for discussing MISUI with their users, identifying MISUI signs and symptoms, and referring users to psychosocial centres for treatment. The key feature of these workshops is the contact-based educational element, where people with lived experience participate in developing and delivering the curriculum to CESFAM PHC providers. Four three-hour workshops will be held at each intervention CESFAM and will be facilitated by two academic/clinical trainers with expertise in stigma research and practice, and one person with lived experience.

OTHER

Recovery-Based Arts

Local leaders at CESFAM will select one PHC provider member and recruit one artist to develop an arts curriculum and facilitate the art sessions. The facilitators will select an art form to use throughout the sessions, and in collaboration with local leaders they will determine themes related to MISUI to cover in each session (planning process will be completed in intervention months 7-8). Arts workshops will be held for 10 weeks, with each session lasting up to three hours (during intervention months 9-12). Ten users affected by MISUI and at least three CESFAM PHC providers will participate in the workshops each week. At the end of the 10-week program, each CESFAM will host an exhibition to showcase the artwork that has been produced (during intervention months 13-18). All PHC providers and users, as well as community members, will be invited to attend the exhibition. PHC providers and users will be invited to speak about their experiences learning and working together to create art.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chile

  collaborator OTHER

• Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jaime C Sapag, Phd · Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-04-01

Primary Completion

2024-07-31

Completion

2025-03-31

Countries

• Chile

Study Locations