Brief Online Resources for Teaching Neuroscience: Impact on Attitudes, Stigma, and Clinical Practice Among Mental...

The goal of this study was to assess whether microlearning resources could improve attitudes towards neuroscience, enhance integration of neuroscience concepts into clinical practice, and decrease stigma towards mental illness.

A national cohort of 120 mental health professionals (psychiatrists; clinical psychologists; psychiatric nurses; and master's-level counselors or social workers) were recruited and randomized into two groups. Each had 3 months of active learning and a 3-month consolidation phase. However, one group had a lagged-start with a 3-month waiting period. During the active phase, each group was encouraged to complete 30 online resources including brief TED-style talks, articles, animated videos, and podcasts. Resources focused on core neuroscience topics and covered a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses and psychological constructs. Both groups completed presurveys and follow-up surveys every 3 months.

After 3 months, in comparison to the waitlist control group, the active group had more positive attitudes towards neuroscience (p = 0.028) and a higher mean score on the Medical Condition Regard Scale (p = 0.001) indicating more positive attitudes towards patients with mental illness; there was no significant difference between groups in application to practice. After 9 months (i.e., after both groups had completed the consolidation phase), significant increases were found across all three measures in the combined cohort. Significant increases in ratings between the pre-survey and consolidation surveys suggest a sustained impact.

Brief online learning experiences may improve attitudes and facilitate the integration of neuroscience into clinical practice among mental health professionals and decrease stigma towards individuals with mental illness.