Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Major

Nursing

Date of Defense

7-13-2023

Graduate Advisor

Anne Thatcher, DNP, MSW, APRN, PMHNP-BC, LMSW

Co-Advisor

Keri Jukpa, MPH

Committee

Anne Thatcher, DNP, MSW, APRN, PMHNP-BC, LMSW

Keri Jukpa, MPH

Idowu Ajibola, PharmD, RPh

Abstract

Abstract

Problem: Immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the United States population with 10% identifying as black and all are widely affected by mental illness especially, during the immigration process. The lack of health insurance impacts access to health and mental health care. The study aims to decrease perceptions of mental health stigma and improve knowledge with relation to mental illness in the black immigrant population after an educational program.

Methods: The project used a descriptive, observational pre-post-test design with an educational program. It collected quantitative data in the pre-post-survey via paper and pencil, using coded data to maintain participant anonymity.

Results: The study used the Community Attitudes Toward Mental Illness (CAMI) self-reported scale to measure participants’ attitudes towards mental illness. The results showed a statistically significant decrease in mental health stigma across three of the four subscales after the educational program. There was a statistically significant mean increase for the Authoritarian, Benevolence, and Community Mental Health Ideology Sub-Scale scores with an increase of 5.81 points, t(15) = 4.169, p < .001, 3.25 points, t(15) = 1.910, p = .038, and 3.94 points, t(15) = 2.753, p = .007, respectively. No statistically significant increase in mean for the Social Restrictiveness Sub-Scale was found with an increase of 0.313 points, t (15) = 0.180, p = .430.

Implications for Practice: An educational program is an effective way to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and should be implemented with the black immigrant population in the U.S. to improve mental health outcomes.

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