Researchers at Ryerson University are spearheading a new $3 million project to explore "new ways to to reduce the stigma of mental illness among men and boys in Asian communities."
The initiative will study the effects of two pilot anti-stigma interventions on 2,160 men living in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.
The pilot programs under study represent two approaches to combating stigma: Acceptance Commitment Training, which advocates mindfulness as a way of reducing internalized stigma--and "Contact-based Empowerment Education," which involves active outreach by community leaders to help spread knowledge and skill building.
The project will be led by Dr. Sepali Guruge, a professor from Ryerson's School of Nursing. Guruge has taught and practiced at several major hospitals in Toronto and has been published widely on mental health in the context of the immigration experience.
The hope, explains Guruge, is that careful investigation of these programs will help policy makers, health workers, and community members better able to develop mechanism to combat what is often the most immediate and insurmountable barrier to accessing mental health support -- internalized stigma and fear of judgment.
"Through this project, we aim to engage boys and men from these communities to become mental health ambassadors who will take on leadership roles in building anti-stigma efforts in their own cultural communities," says Guruge.
Funding for the project comes courtesy of $3-million grant from the Movember Foundation.
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Ryerson University