Promoting and Protecting Mental Health: A Delphi Consensus Study for Actionable Public Mental Health Messages

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Public health campaigns for mental health are infrequent.
• There is a need for evidence-based recommendations on self-management for common mental health issues.
• Preventive actions are crucial for public mental well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus on preventive self-management actions for common mental health problems.
• To identify "healthy behaviors" suitable for public mental health campaigns.
• To bridge the gap between expert recommendations and public perception.

Main Methods:

• A 3-round modified Delphi study involving international mental health experts and public participants.
• Qualitative data from online surveys were thematically analyzed.
• Quantitative consensus ratings and public panel evaluations using Likert scales were employed.

Main Results:

• Expert consensus was achieved on 15 behaviors for sustaining mental health.
• Eight of these behaviors were endorsed by over 50% of the public panel.
• Key behaviors include avoiding illicit drugs, debt reduction, sleep improvement, mood regulation, and having future-oriented activities.

Conclusions:

• A set of healthy behaviors for mental health promotion and protection has achieved expert and public consensus.
• This study provides the first set of actions for public health messaging aimed at preventing poor mental health.
• Further research is recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of these behaviors in universal primary prevention.