Social StigmaNCT06593171
Decreasing the Stigma of Mental Illness Among Health Science Students Through a Mentoring Program
A study testing Mentoring program in people with Social Stigma, run by Universidad del Desarrollo.
Trial summary
Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a serious public health problem that limits access to treatment and social participation, in addition to being considered the main barrier to inclusion and quality of health care. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Stigma
- What is being tested?
- Mentoring program
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 102 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Aug 2025to Mar 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- University students from health careers
- Sign the informed consent form.
Who cannot join
- Be under 18 years of age.
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet.
About this study
Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a serious public health problem that limits access to treatment and social participation, in addition to being considered the main barrier to inclusion and quality of health care. This stigma also affects students and health professionals, impacting the quality of care and help seeking in mental health. In this context, it is necessary to develop innovative and effective interventions among university students to reduce this stigma and promote an inclusive and recovery-based approach.
The aim of the present research project is to analyze the effect of a mentoring program on levels of stigma and mental health help-seeking intention in psychology and nursing students. This three-session mentoring program is based on experiential learning and has been validated and adapted to our country. The mentors, professionals with lived experience in mental health, will provide knowledge and experiences to the students through direct contact sessions in the classroom, focusing especially on the processes of recovery and self-determination.
Read more
Research question: What is the effect of a mentoring program on levels of stigma and mental health help-seeking intention in health care students?
Within the dependent variables of the study are the measurement of levels of stigma and mental health help-seeking intention in students. The independent variables will be the type of group (experimental and control), age, gender and career.
Methodology: Quantitative study, including the participation of health students in the experimental and control groups. The sample size was determined using the G*Power software. After approval by the institutional ethics committee and signature of the informed consent of the participants, the mentoring program will be implemented in the classroom. For this purpose, the levels of stigma and intention to seek mental health help in both groups will be measured using nationally and internationally validated instruments, before, after and at 4 weeks. Data analysis will be performed using a mixed ANOVA model to compare pre- and post-intervention outcomes between the two groups.
The present study will provide valuable evidence on the effectiveness of mentoring-based interventions in reducing stigma in health care students, a key group in the future provision of care for people with mental health problems. The results will also lay the groundwork for larger-scale studies to assess the impact of the intervention in other groups and settings, with the potential to significantly improve the quality of care and well-being of patients and their families.
- Conditions
- Social Stigma
- Being tested
- Mentoring program, Control (placebo) group
- Medical subject headings
- Social Stigma
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mentoring programBehavioural
This three-session mentoring program is based on experiential learning and has been validated and adapted to our country. The mentors, professionals with lived experience in mental health, will provide knowledge and experiences to the students through direct contact sessions in the classroom, focusing especially on the processes of recovery and self-determination.
Control (placebo) groupBehavioural
This group will not receive any intervention. However, they will be invited to participate in stigma education after the study is completed.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control group | Active comparator | No intervention group Receives: Behavioral: Control (placebo) group |
| Experimental group | Experimental | Intervention group. In detail, the intervention has a total of 3 participatory sessions via videoconference, with an average duration of 90 minutes per session, with a maximum number of 3 to 4 students per mentor. Each session is accompanied by a reflective log of the activities and observations made by the students of an evaluated nature, as well as reading prior to session n°1 and n°2. In addition, the anonymous evaluation of the level of stigma before and after the implementation, both in the group of students and mentors, is included, as well as a follow-up of the measurements regarding these evaluations.
At the professional level, a 6-hour pedagogical intervention focused on stigma reduction for the training of health students towards people with psychiatric illnesses will be provided to all health professionals involved, with a certificate of participation delivered at the end of the sessions.
The sessions must have minimum material implements such as an equipped classroom, proj Receives: Behavioral: Mentoring program |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27)
This 27-item, 9-factor instrument has been widely used to measure levels of stigma towards people with mental health problems in the general population and university students nationally and globally. It presents a vignette of a case of a person diagnosed with schizophrenia, where various stereotypes, prejudices and behaviors around him are assessed and measured (anger, pity, dangerousness, fear, avoidance, guilt, segregation and coercion). The instrument uses a 9-point Likert-type response scale, where higher scores represent higher levels of stigma. Specifically, its Spanish version has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties for use in a university population (Saavedra et al., 2021).
Measured: At the time of recruitment, immediately after the end of the study and the 4-week follow-up.
Mental Help Seeking Intention Scale (MHSIS)
A 3-item instrument designed to measure respondents\' intention to seek help from a mental health professional if one were to have a mental health problem (Hamer \& Spiker, 2018). The response scale is a 7-point Likert-type, where a higher score indicates a greater intention to seek help. This instrument has been shown to possess psychometric properties suitable for use with college students, in addition to possessing evidence of predictive validity (Hamer \& Spiker, 2018).
Measured: At the time of recruitment, immediately after the end of the study and the 4-week follow-up.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Sep 2024
- Study startAug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completionDec 2025 (estimated)
- Study completionMar 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Social StigmaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 102 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad del Desarrollo
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas, Universidad del Desarrollo
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06593171
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 815
- Status last verified
- Sep 2024
- First submitted
- 9 Sep 2024
- Last updated
- 19 Sep 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 19 Sep 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Decreasing the Stigma of Mental Illness Among Health Science Students Through a Mentoring Program
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06593171
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 815
- Conditions
- Social Stigma
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 102 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad del DesarrolloUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Mar 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Sep 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a serious public health problem that limits access to treatment and social participation, in addition to being considered the main barrier to inclusion and quality of health care. This stigma also affects students and health professionals, impacting the quality of care and help seeking in mental health. In this context, it is necessary to develop innovative and effective interventions among university students to reduce this stigma and promote an inclusive and recovery-based approach.
The aim of the present research project is to analyze the effect of a mentoring program on levels of stigma and mental health help-seeking intention in psychology and nursing students. This three-session mentoring program is based on experiential learning and has been validated and adapted to our country. The mentors, professionals with lived experience in mental health, will provide knowledge and experiences to the students through direct contact sessions in the classroom, focusing especially on the processes of recovery and self-determination.
Research question: What is the effect of a mentoring program on levels of stigma and mental health help-seeking intention in health care students?
Within the dependent variables of the study are the measurement of levels of stigma and mental health help-seeking intention in students. The independent variables will be the type of group (experimental and control), age, gender and career.
Methodology: Quantitative study, including the participation of health students in the experimental and control groups. The sample size was determined using the G*Power software. After approval by the institutional ethics committee and signature of the informed consent of the participants, the mentoring program will be implemented in the classroom. For this purpose, the levels of stigma and intention to seek mental health help in both groups will be measured using nationally and internationally validated instruments, before, after and at 4 weeks. Data analysis will be performed using a mixed ANOVA model to compare pre- and post-intervention outcomes between the two groups.
The present study will provide valuable evidence on the effectiveness of mentoring-based interventions in reducing stigma in health care students, a key group in the future provision of care for people with mental health problems. The results will also lay the groundwork for larger-scale studies to assess the impact of the intervention in other groups and settings, with the potential to significantly improve the quality of care and well-being of patients and their families.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control group | Active comparator | Behavioral: Control (placebo) groupNo intervention group |
| Experimental group | Experimental | Behavioral: Mentoring programIntervention group. In detail, the intervention has a total of 3 participatory sessions via videoconference, with an average duration of 90 minutes per session, with a maximum number of 3 to 4 students per mentor. Each session is accompanied by a reflective log of the activities and observations made by the students of an evaluated nature, as well as reading prior to session n°1 and n°2. In addition, the anonymous evaluation of the level of stigma before and after the implementation, both in the group of students and mentors, is included, as well as a follow-up of the measurements regarding these evaluations. At the professional level, a 6-hour pedagogical intervention focused on stigma reduction for the training of health students towards people with psychiatric illnesses will be provided to all health professionals involved, with a certificate of participation delivered at the end of the sessions. The sessions must have minimum material implements such as an equipped classroom, proj |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- University students from health careers
- Sign the informed consent form.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Be under 18 years of age.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mentoring programThis three-session mentoring program is based on experiential learning and has been validated and adapted to our country. The mentors, professionals with lived experience in mental health, will provide knowledge and experiences to the students through direct contact sessions in the classroom, focusing especially on the processes of recovery and self-determination. | Behavioural | Experimental group |
| Control (placebo) groupThis group will not receive any intervention. However, they will be invited to participate in stigma education after the study is completed. | Behavioural | Control group |
Primary outcome
Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27)
Time frame: At the time of recruitment, immediately after the end of the study and the 4-week follow-up.
This 27-item, 9-factor instrument has been widely used to measure levels of stigma towards people with mental health problems in the general population and university students nationally and globally. It presents a vignette of a case of a person diagnosed with schizophrenia, where various stereotypes, prejudices and behaviors around him are assessed and measured (anger, pity, dangerousness, fear, avoidance, guilt, segregation and coercion). The instrument uses a 9-point Likert-type response scale, where higher scores represent higher levels of stigma. Specifically, its Spanish version has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties for use in a university population (Saavedra et al., 2021).
Mental Help Seeking Intention Scale (MHSIS)
Time frame: At the time of recruitment, immediately after the end of the study and the 4-week follow-up.
A 3-item instrument designed to measure respondents\' intention to seek help from a mental health professional if one were to have a mental health problem (Hamer \& Spiker, 2018). The response scale is a 7-point Likert-type, where a higher score indicates a greater intention to seek help. This instrument has been shown to possess psychometric properties suitable for use with college students, in addition to possessing evidence of predictive validity (Hamer \& Spiker, 2018).
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 19 Sep 2024.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Mentoring program in people with Social Stigma, run by Universidad del Desarrollo.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Sep 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas, PhD, MSc, RN. ((+56 2) 2327 9110, matrodriguezr@udd.cl), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) (time frame: At the time of recruitment, immediately after the end of the study and the 4-week follow-up.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Sep 2024.