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Bridging barriers: a mixed-methods study on using health communication to increase knowledge on mental health
Ana Hagström1,2, Anna-Clara Hollander3, Karima Viksten Assel3
1Learning, Informatics, Ethics and Management (Lime), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Background:
Children with a migrant background are at increased risk for mental health issues. Despite this, they often use mental healthcare less than the majority population in the host countries. This study evaluated if participating in a multilingual health communication for migrant parents improved their self-reported knowledge of children's primary mental healthcare, influenced their perceived barriers to accessing care and if it was perceived as relevant and acceptable. .
Methods:
The health communication was implemented in a diverse municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. We applied a convergent parallel mixed-methods design to collect data with questionnaires before the intervention, immediately after and at 4-month follow-up, together with interviews with a subsample of parents at follow-up. Main outcome variables were knowledge on where to seek mental healthcare, perceived barriers to mental healthcare and acceptance and relevance of the health communication. .
Results:
A total of 101 parents participated in the health communication, with 80 completing the baseline questionnaire and 47 completing the follow-up. Parental knowledge of where to seek mental healthcare for their children increased significantly after the intervention and participants reported less shame associated with seeking care and fewer language-related difficulties at follow-up. In the interviews, the parents described having limited knowledge of mental health in children and available mental health services. They appreciated the health communication, including learning about available mental health services for children and found it well aligned with their needs. .
Conclusions:
This study showed that health communication may reduce individual-level barriers, such as limited knowledge of available services and low mental health literacy, while also improving parental awareness and perceptions of seeking care for their children. The findings suggest responsiveness and motivation among parents for similar interventions. .
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