Breaking Barriers: Establishing a Culturally Tailored Mental Health Awareness Program to Combat Stigma in the Immigrant Community

Author

Adebisi O. Ayodele, Fort Hays State University

Department

Nursing

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Abstract

The stigma associated with mental health consists of anticipated, actual, internalized, perceived, and endorsed stigma. It hinders people's willingness and ability to seek necessary mental health care, which has widespread consequences for individuals, families, and society at large. Thus, it is essential to combat the stigma associated with mental health in the community to reduce inequality and enhance well-being. This quality improvement project addressed mental health stigma by establishing a culturally tailored mental health awareness program within an immigrant faith-based organization. This program sought to increase participation, acceptance, and awareness of mental health issues with the long-term goal of reducing mental health stigma and improving help-seeking behavior. The Plan-Do-Study-Act framework was employed for planning. A project team was established from members of the organization, and to act as examples of how the program would function, two educational seminars on mental health awareness were presented to the membership. Attendance was used to determine interest in understanding mental health and stigma, and the project team vote was used to determine commitment among the organization's members to address mental health stigma. For the first seminar, 59 of 120 attended, and for the second seminar, 39 of 120 attended. Six project team members voted to adopt the project. This initiative ultimately sought to diminish the stigma associated with mental illness within immigrant communities by promoting a sense of awareness, unity, and resilience.

Keywords

mental health awareness, mental illness, African immigrants, cultural beliefs and mental health, religious practices and mental health, African American community

Advisor

Jenny Manry

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

DNP Project

Recommended Citation

Ayodele, Adebisi O., "Breaking Barriers: Establishing a Culturally Tailored Mental Health Awareness Program to Combat Stigma in the Immigrant Community" (2025). Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice. 3278.
Available at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses/3278

Rights

© The Author