Educational interventions in secondary education aiming to affect pupils' attitudes towards mental illness: a review of the literature

Accessible summary • Promoting mental health and fostering understanding within the community about mental illness are essential. • This systematic review is concerned with intervention studies which aim to affect secondary school pupils' attitudes towards mental illness through education. • While the results indicate a positive impact, research on this topic is quite limited and further research is needed. Abstract Dealing with persons who have mental health problems is an issue that many people are likely to face with, whether they are health professionals or not. Positive attitudes towards people with mental illness play a major factor in their quality of life and social inclusion. Since adolescents will become active adult members of their communities in the near future, this paper reviews educational interventions in secondary education and how they aim to affect adolescent attitudes towards mental illness. Twelve studies conducted on the relevant issue have been identified. The results indicate a positive impact on attitudes towards mental illness and improvements in the knowledge of mental health and illness among secondary school pupils. However, the limited number of studies highlights the need for further research.