Delivering Church-based Interventions to Reduce Stigma and Mental Health Treatment Disparities Among Latinos

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial of a Latino church-based intervention in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. This study aims to leverage the collective resources of Latino religious congregations and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to test the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention directed at reducing stigma, increasing mental health literacy, and improving access to mental health services.

Detailed Description
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This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial of a Latino church-based intervention in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. This study aims to leverage the collective resources of Latino religious congregations and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to test the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention directed at reducing stigma, increasing mental health literacy, and improving access to mental health services. A total of 12 churches (6 intervention and 6 wait-list control) will be enrolled in the study. Churches within each study site, the Riverside County parishes and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, will be matched in pairs based on size and geography. Three matched pairs from each study site will be randomly selected and then randomly assigned within each pair to intervention or control. The planned study will involve 2400 participants (1200 intervention and 1200 control) who will be part of congregations that are randomly assigned to receive the church-based intervention immediately or a wait list control condition. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up to evaluate intervention effects on mental health service use and potential mediators (i.e., mental health literacy, stigma).

Official Title
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Delivering Church-based Interventions to Reduce Stigma and Mental Health Treatment Disparities Among Latinos

Conditions
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Help-Seeking Behavior, Stigma, Social

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: NAMI Mental Health 101 and NAMI FaithNet


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Congregant of selected intervention and control churches Exclusion Criteria: Does not meet criteria above

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of California has developed Mental Health 101, a suite of contact-based education programs tailored for culturally diverse populations including Latino populations. Another NAMI program, FaithNet, provides resources and training on how churches can shape norms and overcome shame and stigma related to mental illness and treatment. NAMI FaithNet also assists with facilitating linkages to mental health services from providing referrals to partner mental health agencies to forming multi-sector collaboratives of social service organizations, clergy, and mental health providers to create a more holistic, coordinated system of care. The multi-component, church-based, intervention will build on NAMI's existing resources, with tailoring for Latino church-based settings.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: NAMI Mental Health 101 and NAMI FaithNet<br>Mental Health 101 and FaithNet | Behavioral: NAMI Mental Health 101 and NAMI FaithNet<br>* Congregants of Intervention Churches will receive: NAMI Mental Health 101, a 60-90 minute, contact-based educational intervention NAMI FaithNet which consists of congregational support and training to cultivate supportive environments within faith communities for those with mental health conditions and their families.<br>|
| No Intervention: Wait-list Control<br>After the 12-month follow-up, wait-list control churches will be provided with the opportunity to receive Mental Health 101 and NAMI FaithNet interventions. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mental Health Service Use | Change in mental health service use among participants in intervention churches versus those in control churches. Mental health service use will be measured with the following modified item from the California Health Interview Survey: In the past 12 months have you seen a professional, such as a counselor, psychiatrist, or social worker for problems with your mental health, emotions, nerves, or your use of alcohol or drugs? Response options are dichotomous (Yes/No). Tran LD, Ponce NA. Who Gets Needed Mental Health Care? Use of Mental Health Services among Adults with Mental Health Need in California. Calif J Health Promot. 2017;15(1):36-45. PubMed PMID: 28729814; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5515380. | Mental Health Service Use between Baseline and 12-month Follow-up | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mental Illness Stigma | Change in stigma among participants in intervention churches versus those in control churches. Personal stigma will be assessed with social distance measures, one of the most widely used indicators of stigma. Social distance is assessed by asking respondents to rate their degree of willingness to interact with someone with a mental illness in various interpersonal situations (e.g., work closely on a job; live next door; spend an evening socializing; marry into the family; as a friend). Jorm AF, Oh E. Desire for social distance from people with mental disorders. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry. 2009;43(3):183-200. | Mental Illness Stigma reduction between Baseline and 12-month Follow-up | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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mental health literacy, stigma, help-seeking, Latino, faith-based, religious congregations, contact-based interventions