Refine
Language
- English (4)
Has Fulltext
- yes (4)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (4)
Keywords
- Community based intervention (1)
- Depression (1)
- Depression stigma (1)
- Germany (1)
- Hungary (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Mental health and psychiatry (1)
- Perceived stigma (1)
- Personal stigma (1)
- Portugal (1)
Institute
- Medizin (4)
The ‘European Alliance Against Depression’ community-based intervention approach simultaneously targets depression and suicidal behaviour by a multifaceted community based intervention and has been implemented in more than 115 regions worldwide. The two main aims of the European Union funded project “Optimizing Suicide Prevention Programmes and Their Implementation in Europe” were to optimise this approach and to evaluate its implementation and impact. This paper reports on the primary outcome of the intervention (the number of completed and attempted suicides combined as ‘suicidal acts’) and on results concerning process evaluation analysis. Interventions were implemented in four European cities in Germany, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland, with matched control sites. The intervention comprised activities with predefined minimal intensity at four levels: training of primary care providers, a public awareness campaign, training of community facilitators, support for patients and their relatives. Changes in frequency of suicidal acts with respect to a one-year baseline in the four intervention regions were compared to those in the four control regions (chi-square tests). The decrease in suicidal acts compared to baseline in the intervention regions (-58 cases, -3.26%) did not differ significantly (χ2 = 0.13; p = 0.72) from the decrease in the control regions (-18 cases, -1.40%). However, intervention effects differed between countries (χ2 = 8.59; p = 0.04), with significant effects on suicidal acts in Portugal (χ2 = 4.82; p = 0.03). The interviews and observations explored local circumstances in each site throughout the study. Hypothesised mechanisms of action for successful implementation were observed and drivers for ‘added-value’ were identified: local partnership working and ‘in-kind’ contributions; an approach which valued existing partnership strengths; and synergies operating across intervention levels. It can be assumed that significant events during the implementation phase had a certain impact on the observed outcomes. However, this impact was, of course, not proven.
Background: Stigma is one of the most significant constraints on people living with depression. There is a lack of validated scales in Portugal to measure depression stigma; therefore, the Depression Stigma Scale (DSS) is essential to the depression stigma research in Portugal.
Methods: We developed the adaptation process with the ITC Guidelines for Translation and Adapting Tests taken into consideration. We collected the sample as part of the OSPI program—Optimizing suicide prevention programs and their implementation in Europe, specifically within the application in Portugal, and included 1693 participants. Floor-ceiling effects and response ranges were analyzed, and we calculated Cronbach alphas, and Confirmatory Analysis. Validity evidence was tested with two well-documented hypotheses, using data on gender and depression symptoms.
Results: The sample was well comparable with the general Portuguese population, indicating its representativeness. We identified a three-factor structure in each subscale (personal and perceived stigma): weak-not-sick, discrimination, and dangerous/unpredictable, with good model fit results. The Cronbach's alphas were satisfactory, and validity was confirmed.
Conclusions: This study established the validity and demonstrated good psychometric properties of the DSS in the Portuguese population. The validation of the DSS can be beneficial in exploring stigma predictors and evaluating the effectiveness of stigma reduction interventions.
Background Stigma is one of the most significant constraints on people living with depression. There is a lack of validated scales in Portugal to measure depression stigma; therefore, validation of the Depression Stigma Scale (DSS) is an essential step to the depression stigma research in Portugal.
Methods We developed the adaptation process with the ITC Guidelines for Translation and Adapting Tests taken into consideration. We collected the sample as part of the OSPI program – Optimizing suicide prevention programs and their implementation in Europe, specifically within the application in Portugal, and included 1693 participants. Floor-ceiling effects and response ranges were analyzed, and we calculated Cronbach alphas, conducted a Principal Component Analysis and Confirmatory Analysis. Validity evidence was tested with two well-documented hypotheses, using data on gender and depression symptoms.
Results The sample was well comparable with the general Portuguese population, indicating its representativeness. We identified a three-factor structure in each subscale (personal and perceived stigma): weak-not-sick, discrimination, and dangerous/unpredictable. The Cronbach’s alphas were satisfactory, and validity was confirmed.
Conclusions This study established the validity and demonstrated good psychometric properties of the DSS in the Portuguese population. The validation of the DSS can be beneficial in exploring stigma predictors and evaluating the effectiveness of stigma reduction interventions.
Background Stigma has been considered a significant barrier both in treatment, rehabilitation and help-seeking behaviours of people diagnosed with depression. This study aimed to assess the influence of the type of previous experience with depression on depression stigma, identify the effects of previous experience with depression on stigma and to analyse the effects of stigma on help-seeking attitudes.
Methods A total of 1693 participants with a mean age of 47.2 (SD=18.17) completed the Depression Stigma Scale (DSS), the Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (ATSPPH), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. We categorised participants into four comparison groups: no previous experience with depression (n=479), indirect experience with depression (n=661), direct experience with depression (n=137), and both direct and indirect experience with depression (n=416). Data were analysed using SPSS 24.0.
Results Levels of personal stigma were lower in people who had family and friends experiencing depression in comparison with individuals with no history of depression experience. Better attitudes towards help-seeking were evident in those with lower personal stigma, and worse help-seeking attitudes were associated with higher perceived stigma in the indirect previous experience group.
Limitations Duration of participant exposure to depression was not collected.
Conclusions The individual’s experience with depression influences the development of personal stigmatisation towards depression and plays a role in help-seeking behaviours. Addressing people’s experience of depression might be a practical way of reducing depression stigma and improve help-seeking behaviours.