Enhancing Mental Health Literacy and Reducing Depression Stigma: A Study of Vignette-Based Blended Teaching among Undergraduates

Abstract

Introduction: Depression, a leading cause of death, often begins in adolescence and severely impacts undergraduate students. It affects their academic performance, leads to absenteeism, social isolation, and poor academic standing, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Vignette-Based Blended Teaching (VBBT) in improving mental health literacy regarding depression and reducing stigma among undergraduates.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design was employed, involving 180 undergraduate students (95 in the intervention group and 85 in the control group) selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using three instruments: the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire for Depression, the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale, and the Perception of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help scale. The VBBT intervention was delivered in two phases: Phase 1 involved online interactive teaching, followed by Phase 2, which consisted of three weeks of conventional face-to-face teaching. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0, with results reported through descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: Post-test results showed a 52% increase in mental health literacy scores, with a reduction in self-stigma by 10.5% and perception of stigmatization by 48.8%. The intervention significantly improved mental health literacy (t(179) = 25.36, p<0.001), reduced self-stigma (t(179) = -9.59, p<0.001), and lowered perceived stigmatization (t(179) = 31.97, p<0.001).
Conclusion: VBBT effectively enhances mental health literacy and reduces stigma regarding depression. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the long-term retention of these outcomes over one-month, three-month, and one-year intervals.